A Hidden World - Book 1
by 322n
Summary: The bonds, the metal. The journey, the hammer. As the Trickster is reforged through the trials of fire, it once again falls to him to fully discover what awaits him in Kuoh, a small town it may be but full of secrets at every corner. Now, how will the World match up against a world?(Time for a rewrite. This fanfic is dead.)
1. chapter 1

Chapter 1: Prologue

It was odd, to one Akira Kurusu. He was now living in another city, away from his friends. He was no longer wearing the Shujin uniform, instead donning something else. He was no longer fighting against shadows and corrupt palace rulers or Mementos targets to change the hearts of the corrupt people of Japan. He was no longer chatting with his teammates or confidants about potential targets in Mementos. He was no longer spending time with his Confidants, helping them or when they needed a listening ear.

Instead, what was he doing? He was standing outside of an apartment that his parents had bought for him. He didn't like this place very much. There was no Sojiro to help out with in Cafe Leblanc, no Futaba to talk with when she needed to.

Morgana was in his bag, still asleep from the long and draining journey that had taken almost the whole day. His legs were still quite sore from just trying to find this place. Apparently, he wasn't told just how far away this place was. Sighing, he wished that his friends were here. Ryuji would be commenting about how lucky he was to have a place like this while Yusuke would be having self monologues about wanting to paint the apartment as the sun set. Indeed, it did look good as the sun continued to set. Akira however was not certainly expecting this apartment to be in a apartment complex that was in the richer parts of Kuoh.

Before he stepped into his new door, he could tell that it was already going to be quite expensive, given how the oak door had many fine details and there was a rug right under his feet. Twisting the key, he pushed the door open, to be greeted with the sight of a clearly modernised apartment.

To put it in Ryuji's terms, holy shit. He felt that it was the correct way to describe the apartment, there was no other way. He was standing in a short and narrow hallway, which also had a shoe rack for him to put his shoes. Beyond that, he found himself staring at a fifty inch plasma TV screen with a game console set up. A PS4 Slim, to be precise. Beside it, a few disc boxes which Akira knew would contain games. A L shaped sofa faced the screen, and it had enough room for four or five people. In front was a small glass table for placing beverages or other things. Behind the Sofa was a dining table enough for seven people, if they squeezed. The walls were painted white with a bit of black and grey which gave off the vibe of a comforting home to Akira as those were his favourite colours. There were large glass panes, facing the sunset.

The kitchen didn't seem like much at first, until Akira noticed that the equipment there were from well known international brands. Just how much did his parents pay for this? He would use it though, to make coffee. It was time for him to source out quality coffee beans for some brewing. He could also probably practice the recipes that Sojiro had given him. Sighing, he walked away, taking note of the fact that the toilet was in the kitchen. He found himself looking at two doors.

Neither was labelled, but one of the doors was left slightly ajar, indicating that someone had recently been here. Opening the door, he knew that his parents or had been here, since there was a note left on the desk. This was the room that they gave him, it seemed. Akira noted the walls were painted grey here. His clothes and other things were already unpacked for some reason. At least they saved him some time. He decided to read the note next.

 _Dear Akira_

 _I know we haven't been here for the past year of your life, and I'm sorry that we can't be here for the next few months either. I don't really have any words to say nor any excuses to give. I just hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive us._

 _-Your Father_

A tear dropped onto the note. Was he crying? His parents actually cared for him, just that they couldn't do so. They are pretty large figures in the business world, thus having a son who had a criminal record was enough to destroy their hard earned reputation. More tears began to fall onto the paper, before Akira managed to control himself and stifle a sob as he wiped his tears. Apparently, the sound of his near crying woke Morgana up. "You ok, Akira?"

Akira nodded his head, not trusting himself to speak. If he had to guess, the other room was for either a study or a guest bedroom. For now, he had to organise his things for tomorrow and sleep. The journey had taken its toll on him after all. He held out what seemed to be the blazer for the academy. It should be a normal school, right?

Scene Break

Unfortunately, it was apparently too much to ask for a normal school. Akira had donned the blazer for the Kuoh Academy, with a white turtleneck shirt that had two chevrons on it. It came along with black trousers or a dark blue that he also donned finishing up with black loafers. His eye twitched as he looked at the girls' uniforms, which seemed to be designed by perverts for some reason. It seemed to emphasise the bust of female students, while having skirts that didn't go past the knee. Even Shujin Academy had somewhat stricter uniform rules than this.

Sighing, he made his way in, blending in along with other students that were also making their way in. Thankfully, he wasn't drawing too much attention, due to the fact that he had always been able to blend in smoothly in any environment given that he wore the correct clothes. Turning, he made his way to the office.

 **Sona's POV**

She sighed once again as she looked at the latest stack of complains. She glared at the stack, wishing that it would go away. When that failed, she picked the first complain out. A complain from the Kendo girls. It seemed that the Perverted Trio were at it again. For the fourth time in a week, they had peeked at them once again. She figured that the girls would have beaten them enough times, yet they still kept coming back like persistent files.

Oh, how she wished to expel those three. They were like a plague which could she could not rid of, due to the fact that she was not the only owner of this land. Sighing, she looked at the piece of paper once more. Her fingers itched to hold the accept seal and slam it down, but she could not do so. With a heavy mind, she picked up the denied seal and stamped it. She looked at the mountainous pile of paperwork in front of her. She was going to need some coffee, if she wanted to clear the stack.

Honestly speaking, she would have liked to skip doing paperwork like her sister. But unlike her sister, she was a responsible person, so responsible that she hated herself at times for that trait. It was one of those traits that ran down the Sitris, but it seemed to have skipped her sister for some reason.

A knock on her door stopped her train of thoughts. It seemed that the paperwork would have to wait, for now. "Come in." She called out. The door opened, revealing one person. It was a male who seemed to be a blank slate of sorts. He was probably the new transfer student from Shujin that she had been informed about. "Welcome to Kuoh Academy, Akira Kurusu. I am Souna Shitori, Student Council President."

"Thanks." Akira replied tersely, as if he was on guard.

"This school does not tolerate rule breakers and such. Kurusu-san, I trust that you are not a pervert?" Sona nearly sighed in relief as she saw Akira shake his head. The school already had enough perverts as it was and didn't need anymore. There was a nagging feeling that she couldn't ignore about the student in front of her, and she decided to do a scan of those two. What she found however, was anything that fell short of normal. She nearly did a spit take at the result.

The boy right in front of her had magic reserves that were superior to a normal human's, heck even some magicians would be put to shame! In fact, it was as high as both of her Bishops! She knew that she had to have him in her peerage. He would be a good member, even if they were only pawns. He could always easily promote into Bishop and take advantage of his expanded reserves to cast more spells. "Shitori-san?" Akira's probing snapped her out of her thinking.

"I would advise you to avoid The Perverted Trio. You'll know them when you see them." She quickly said, handing him his schedule. Nodding his head, he left. Sona was too absorbed in her thinking once again to see Akira send a suspicious look at her before the door closed.

 **Akira's POV**

When the Student President remained silent for a few seconds there, Akira felt as if he was being probed. It was similar to Futaba's Treasure Skimmer, only this one was trying to analyse them fully. Dismissing those thoughts, he found himself standing in front of a class. 3B, it seemed.

As he knocked on the door, the door opened and Akira found himself looking into a class of roughly 30 students with an empty seat right near the window in the middle row. Just like his last seating arrangement in Shujin. "Please introduce yourself." The teacher stated sharply.

"I am Akira Kurusu. Third Year Transfer from Tokyo." Murmurs were rampant around the room, and Akira could easily hear every single one of them thanks to Morgana's training. It was pretty much murmurs of how plain he looked and how he didn't seem to be a pervert, nothing more. It was going to be hard to fit in for sure, after learning that he was the only male in the Third Year. At least it wasn't too bad, honestly speaking for the girls tended to be less judgemental by their male counterparts.

As he settled down on the table, he found himself nearly beginning to doze off into the teacher's lecture. "Kurusu-san! Are you paying attention?" She yelled while Akira nodded sheepishly. "Then who was the origin of the term 'magistrate's patronage'?"

"Minamoto no Yoshitsune." He answered smoothly. It seemed that Shujin and Kuoh had different learning milestones, for he covered the question in Shujin last year. He sighed, the teachers weren't going to give him any rest, would they?

 _Lunch Break_

Lunch had finally rolled around, and Akira found himself tired. The teacher had been relentless in trying to catch him off guard, before giving up seeing how he had been able to answer all the questions posted to him. Sighing, he took out a flask of coffee that he had brewed after finding some beans at home. His home apparently was stocked with coffee beans for now, so he wouldn't need to find some. He had to admit, the coffee he made was pretty good.

He took out his lunch box, which was basically Sojiro's curry with rice. He should probably try the other recipes on Sojiro's notebook if he wanted something else besides curry for lunch. He began digging into the curry, which was not too bad, honestly speaking. It was still one of those little things that tied him back to Cafe Leblanc in Tokyo. It was with gusto that he finished wolfing down his food within mere minutes. He should probably take the time to explore this school and get himself acquainted. It was going to be another long year at this school after all. He should also figure out a club to join, perhaps Kendo?

Sighing, he found himself in front of a building that looked somewhat abandoned. It was the fact that moss was rampant on the wood of the building that made it so. Though, the grass patch in front was quite a nice place for him to slack. That was when he noticed someone staring at him. A buxom redhead, observing him. He returned the favour by staring into her eyes, it was almost as if Akira was able to see her insecurities. Shaking his head, he looked up, only to notice that the window that the girl had observed him through was closed.

"Persona." That word rung through his head once more. As he walked back towards his class, he wanted to laugh in denial. It wasn't possible, was it? After all, he had lost his ability to use his Personae after defeating Yaldabaoth. Then his mind drifted to the last time to when he had been in the Velvet Room. He remembered the card, spinning around on his hand as he had grasped it. The World Arcana. It was the completion of his journey, or at least phase of it. The ability to stand on his own two feet thanks to the bonds that he had forged. He was no longer someone who was a lone wolf. As if he was trying to relish the feeling once more, he reached his hand out, trying to grasp something. Nothing happened.

Sighing, he turned back into the classroom, prepared for an afternoon of lessons. Things were going to be brutal from here on out.

 _After School_

Sure enough, school was brutal. The teacher that had entered for the afternoon tested his mettle with a very difficult question, even by his standards. And he scored the highest in his cohort during his second year in Shujin. It was only pure luck that he had managed to guess the answer.

As he reached his home, which was a stone's throw away from the school, Akira found himself looking at a Morgana who was still asleep. The cat seriously slept too much for his own good. Though, what should he do now? He had pretty much nothing to do and was in an unfamiliar place. It was one of those times again, except that he had no part time job to help him kill the time. That left only one option. Exploration of the city. Sighing, he began changing into his other clothes before his phone rang. His mother was calling. "Hello, Kaa-san."

"How are you doing, Akira-kun?"

"I'm doing fine. Why are you calling?" Akira sighed. His mother normally wouldn't call him unless she had something to tell him. And she only informed him about formal events. His mother helped to manage his Dad's schedule after all.

"We're coming to Kuoh soon." Akira inhaled sharply. Whatever they were going to do here, it wasn't going to be good. "I would also recommend that you buy some formal clothes. We are going to an event." An event? That was not going to be that bad, it could be worse after all. He released his breath that he apparently been holding without realising.

"When is it?" Akira asked. He had to check the date and prepare accordingly after all.

"Somewhere in July. I'll give the specifics later on. But I'm going to have you meet with one or two of our clients. Do try to look good, alright?" The last part was said in a gentler tone, but it did little to lessen the impact of the previous statement. His parents were trying to play matchmaker and set up something. He knew that it was pointless to argue with his mother.

She was headstrong when it came to settling things. "Yes, Mother." He forced out through gritted teeth. As the call ended, Akira badly wanted to throw the phone against the window, but decided against it. His parents were trying to interfere in his love life. Sighing, he put down his phone before he changed his clothes. He desperately needed a walk, anything to free him.

"Are you ok?" Morgana asked, having woken up just after the call ended.

"My parents just called. They are coming here somewhere in July." Morgana noticed the sour look on Akira's face and decided to not probe any further.

"Weren't you going out?" Morgana thankfully managed to find another topic, seeing how Akira was dressed and ready to leave the house. Quickly jumping into Akira's bag, they left the house.

Scene Break

Akira found himself in a Ramen Shop, chomping down on a large bowl of noodles. No, large would not do it justice. It was terrifyingly humongous. Every customer's eye was on him. Could Akira do it? Could he beat the legendary Tsukumen challenge that many had failed to do?

With seconds to spare, Akira finished the last bit of noodles and bamboo shoots. "Done." He declared, slamming the chopsticks down. Honestly speaking, he had taken up this challenge to vent his frustration from earlier.

"I-Impossible." Someone stammered before a loud cheer rang through the resturaunt. Apparently, he received the a badge along with some gift vouchers for completing the challenge. Best part of all, this was free if you completed it. This pretty much saved Akira 4000 yen.

As he left the restaurant, full and somewhat feeling better, Akira found himself at a park, petting Morgana as he sat down on a bench. "Man, I feel full just from watching you." He commented.

"Yeah." Akira replied before letting out a loud burp.

"Hey, do you think that something is wrong with your school?" Akira frowned at Morgana's statement. Yeah, it was somewhat strange. There were few people that frequented the Old School Building, from what he had heard. Not to mention the girl who had observed him, she seemed somewhat malicious in a way as if she was plotting or something. And thirdly, why would the school not tear down such an old building? It seriously did not make any sense. Kuoh Academy was supposed to have a modernised outlook after all.

"It seems to smell of desire." What was going on?

"I don't think we can get any answers for now." Akira responded, before leaning back. He froze mid motion, sensing that something was amiss. "Something's not right."

Indeed, for the park was deserted. This was a park near the town, so there would be many people here. Plus, Akira had seen people come in and out of the park earlier, so why was it empty all of a sudden? "So this is the target. A shame you have to die." Akira turned his head to face the owner of the voice. She emerged out from a tree to his right. The strangest things however, was that she held some sort of light in her hands. A light spear, meant to be thrown in any case. "Now, die." She declared before hurling it at Akira.

His instincts screamed at him to dodge, and dodge was what he did. Morgana leapt out of the bag as well. His bag immediately turned into a pin cushion, the light spear poked a hole through it. Damm it, he was gonna have to get a new one. He had to defeat her somehow and get info. But how?

He could try to reach her and fight hand to hand combat. The difficult part however was reaching her, as she had those things which could be thrown at him. He dashed between bushes and weaved around, dodging light spears as he did. "To the side!"

Hearing Morgana's advice, he stepped to the side, dodging another light spear that was aimed for his earlier path. "Tch! This guy has good reflexes." Akira knee that the voice behind him was a man's given how deep it was. Dodging another light spear from the woman in front of him, he quickly leapt up to avoid two spears that were obviously not thrown by the guy behind him and the woman in front.

"Well, to think that he can avoid our light spears like that. Well, it won't matter." Akira dared to turn to the side, finding himself facing another two. However, these two were flying and had black wings.

"Who are you? Fuck that, what are you?"

"Funny you should ask, mortal. Then again, you are about to die. We are fallen angels." Akira swore, this day just got weirder and weirder. "Maybe we should start off with that cat of yours. You seem to treasure it a lot." Akira found himself starring at a gothic girl who held Morgana by the scruff, a light spear ready to enter his head. What could he do? He was powerless in this situation.

"Remember the bonds you have forged." The voice rang through his head like an echo. A never ending echo. His bond... with Morgana was an unbreakable one, wasn't it? The Magician Arcana had made it so. Yet he was here, ready to see Morgana's self execution. He shook his head, he couldn't let Morgana die.

A card that Akira was familiar with floated in front of him and glowed blue. "The World." Akira breathed. The fallen angels had ceased all activity, watching him. They were confused. The World, in a card?

Before they could say anything, he crushed his fist, and the card shattered like glass.

 **So, you seek to protect once more?**

Akira heard that voice, that very same voice that had confronted him when he tried to stop Ryuji's execution. "No matter what it takes." He promised the voice.

 **It's been a while. Vow to me then. I am thou, thou art I**

Akira's hands made his way to his face, where a bird shaped mask was already there for no reason. The fallen angels watched, paralysed in shock and a slight hint of fear of what was about to come.

 **Thou who art willing to perform sacrilegious acts for thine own justice, call thy name and release thy rage.**

Akira began to pull the mask, hard. He could feel the blood seeping as he did, but he needed a bit more. Just a bit more!

 **Even if you fall to the depths of hell, call thy name and release thy rage!**

"AHHHHH!" Akira screamed to the heavens as he pulled the mask, searing agony overloading his nerves as he finally pulled the mask. Blood flowed down his face freely, but he was smiling. The smile was disturbing to the fallen, but Akira didn't care. He had a wicked expression, his eyes now golden as he grinned sadistically. A blue light surrounded Akira, blinding everyone in the area.

When the light finally died down, Akira was different. He now wore a confident look, as his clothes changed. He now wore a black trench coat with a grey collared shirt, paired with black trousers, dark brown Cuban heeled boots and red gloves. He now held a weapon. A blade that was too long to be a dagger, yet a blade too short to be a proper short sword. It had a D guard on its hilt with a blood red gem glinting wickedly.

Behind him stood Arsene. Arsene still beheld that demonic face, with gentlemen clothing to go along with it, although his limbs were covered in red cloth. He had his hand held on his top hat, ready for combat. Two black wings extended out from behind. Akira noticed that Morgana was on the ground, he must have taken the time to slip away from his captor. "So what if you summoned a familiar? Not like its gonna do any good." The one dressed in a BDSM suit commented. "You, mortal. Know your rightful place beneath us." He noticed how the male gave her a disgusted look before dismissing it.

"Go, Arsene." Arsene flew up to the air, taking on the male fallen and the gothic female one. The other two flew down to fight Akira on equal terms. How long had it been since he held the sword? He didn't know. He began charging towards the two fallen, causing one to dodge his charge. The one who had talked just now engaged him in combat, a light spear against Paradise Lost. Breaking the deadlock, Akira took out the Tyrant Pistol and fired it. The Tyrant Pistol was a thing of disgusting beauty. Yusuke had once questioned when he saw the pistol, "How can one be so beautiful when yet ugly at the same time?" Akira only laughed at that.

It was forged from Lucifer, a soul that had gone through many phases from being a beautiful Angel to an ugly devil. Thus, he was not that the pistol caused the fallen angel to scream in pain even though it grazed the sides of the fallen angel as she tried to dodge it. Akira had once seen it penetrate through concrete with ease and still continue to fly after that. "You, you bastard! You will not live to see another day!" She declared before charging in again, her comrade helping her.

Akira knew that he could not let them live, not the BDSM one at the very least. She seemed to be too blinded by her hatred. She would only come back to hunt him if he left her alive. "I'm sorry." He muttered before dodging the move with ease and piercing her heart with his blade. The red gem on Paradise Lost seemed to glow as it relished the taste of the blood.

Akira looked up at the fallen angel's eyes, only to see smothering hatred in the depths of the violet eyes as she died. It seemed that killing her was the only option. "Who exactly are you, to kill one of our brethren?" The woman literally growled out.

"Just a Trickster." He idly commented. That however garnered attention from the fallen angels, even the two who were still fighting Arsene.

"What?" It seemed that him being a Trickster was supposed to have some sort of impact that was at least large enough for them to notice. When Yaldabaoth had addressed him as the Ultimate Trickster, he didn't think how huge the title was. He would see how things would play out.

"Kalawarner, Millet. We are leaving." The male snapped before hurling two more spears, one at Arsene and one at Akira, forcing them to dodge. With them distracted, they quickly unfurled their wings and flew off into the night. He scratched his head, noticing that now that he had no use for his Persona, his clothes disappeared along with Arsene, but his weapons remained. He should keep those with them, right?

"Well done, Akira. I'm sorry that you had to make your first kill though." Morgana commented, stepping out of his cover behind a tree.

"Come on. We should go home first, then we can discuss this." He said, carrying the fallen angel. He would have to get rid of the body, perhaps bury it. After all, if her comrades wouldn't, then who else would? Or maybe, he could revive her. This was going to be a huge pain in the ass, that was for sure. But then again, he was not without mercy. Mercy was something he had, unlike Akechi Goro who was a cold blooded killer until the end of his life. He redeemed himself by sacrificing himself for the Phantom Thieves so that they could stop Shido.

For some reason, the Justice Arcana Tarot card came spiralling down on his hand. It seemed that he would need to crush the World to gain his outfit and armour that he had and to summon his Persona instantly. Otherwise, he would have to wait for the card to spiral down. It was a small time difference, but even one bit could cost his life. "Metatron!" He gestured to the fallen angel and the Angel knew what he needed to do.

"Samarecarn." The metallic angel with six pairs of wings whispered. Flowers began to surround the fallen as she opened her eyes once more.

"W-what?" She said before staring into Metatron's face. "Metatron." She breathed in, admiring the metallic like face.

"I do not get it, Trickster. Why do you ask me to revive her after you heal her? Then again, humans are queer creatures indeed." He laughed before fading away. Akira decided that Raynare was getting too comfortable in his hands and he put her down. Realising that Akira had carried her, she blushed a crimson red before she realised that Akira had killed her. Then she realised the title that Metatron used.

"Y-you are a Trickster?" Akira stayed silent, meeting her eyes.

"You have a problem?" He deadpanned as she flapped her wings and flew away. He did not know whether reviving her was a mistake. Yet.

"What's done is done." Morgana said as the walked back to the apartment. Akira laughed as they did, it was truly a hidden world that they lived in.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Revelations

 _Time, Locations_

 **Persona skills, Persona speech**

 _Lunch Break, School_

Akira sipped his tea as Souna Shitori, or the now identified Sona Sitri sat in front of him, observing him with a keen eye. It seemed that he had been discovered about last night's act. Meanwhile, the entire Student Council stood around the two of them. They had reasons to be wary of Akira, for he killed a fallen angel and seriously wounded another.

"So, even the world is not done playing with me yet." Akira laughed bitterly. Indeed, it seemed that fate still had plans for him, judging how he reawakened his Persona once more. Was there another threat that he had to deal with? Or was just fate simply mocking him by dragging him into the Supernatural World? He knew that his power was one of a kind, judging by the reactions from the fallen angels, who had probably lived for a very long time, seeing empires rise and fall in all their glory.

"I'm sorry?" Sona looked confused at the statement. Akira shook his head, as if dismissing some dream that was out of his reach.

"It's nothing." Akira assured, before putting his cup down and speaking once more. "Let me get this right. You guys are devils, they are your peerage members which resemble a set of chess pieces. The significant things that happened were the Great War, three factions fighting each other for some random reason, the Civil War, because the evil pieces." Sona nodded at Akira's short yet succinct summary.

"Indeed. Now, if I may ask, how did you defeat the fallen angels?"

"Luck and a bit of skill" He responded. He didn't need others finding out about his capabilities after all. Not yet, at the very least.

"Pardon me, but I think that it is very hard to kill a fallen angel and successfully wound another with just pure luck and a bit of skill. There is something else, isn't there?" Akira knew of this tactic, Sae Nijima had used it against him in an attempt to get information from Akira when he was being interrogated while under the influence of drugs. The drugs were something that were tough to deal with, but he had managed to pull it off.

"No." He responded.

"So you won't tell us how you did it? Very well then." Akira almost laughed at that, the wording of how the interrogation went was almost the same as the words being spoken right now. Indeed, fate was not done screwing him over. However, Sona spoke with an air of arrogance, unlike Sae who was more kind and slightly gentle with her words until the end. "Who exactly are you, Akira Kurusu?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." He responded with a small smirk.

"Don't play dumb with me. No mere human should be able to defeat fallen that easily. And judging how you were able to kill one and make it disappear, I do not believe that you are a mere human." If Sona wanted the facts, so be it. He decided to use the title that Igor and Yaldabaoth had used for him. That was when Nebiros gave an interesting suggestion.

" **Why not release one of our auras? Let them learn the meaning of fear?** " The arch demon cackled, thinking of their reactions. Akira gave his solution some thought. He had to admit, it seemed like it wasn't too bad of an idea. But the question was, who? Who should he use? " **They're devils, aren't they?** " Akira thanked Nebiros once more, he figured out just who to call upon.

A black miasma began to flow out of Akira, as the devils in the room began to grit their teeth against this powerful aura. "It's demanding my obedience!" The only male of the Student Council, Saji Genshiro realised it first, before kneeling on the floor. Soon, everyone except for Tsubaki Shinra and Sona Sitri, who were on the couch kneeled on the floor. Sighing, Akira released the powerful aura and let the being return to the Sea of Souls.

"What was that? It felt like a devil's aura, only much stronger." Akira watched Sona recover, taking deep breaths.

"I don't see why I should tell you." Akira stood up and grabbed his bag along before he walked off, never looking back once.

 **Rias' POV**

Rias sighed. She was kind of bored, having finished the latest episode of Boruto. It would be another week before it was going to be updated. She had no idea what to do now. She couldn't chat with any of her peerage members, for they were all out there, fulfilling contracts.

That was when she felt it. An aura so dense and powerful, her devil blood literally demanded for her to kneel and bow down to whoever owned that aura. Who was it, to own such an aura? How had it slipped under her nose all this time? She could potentially recruit him or her and gain a powerful peerage member, powerful enough to blow away the dammed Phenex brat if it ever came down to that. Right now however, she had to pinpoint the location of the aura. Perhaps she could ask Sona, since it felt like it was still in school and Sona would know about it. As the aura receded, she began dashing towards the Student Council Room, her head giddy at the thought of perhaps gaining a powerful pawn, not thinking of any adverse effects.

"Sona?" She muttered when she opened the door, only to find the entire Student Council in a sombre mood. The room, to say the least, had been wrecked. Papers were all over the floor, several porcelain shards were on the floor, instead of an ornate vase on Sona's desk. Fractures on the wall were present, though the room didn't seem to be collapsing anytime soon. "What happened here?" She asked no one in particular.

"It was that transfer student, Akira Kurusu. He flared his aura and this happened." The male pawn of Sona Sitri gestured around the room. "He also made us look like weaklings, forcing us to kneel with just his aura alone." Rias noticed how Sona looked, as if she had been shaken to the core by that experience.

"Are you ok, Sona?" Her concern for her friend was well founded, for when she spoke, there was a sense of raw vulnerability behind it.

"I never thought it possible. Once word gets out..."

"What's wrong, Sona?"

"H-his aura was a devil's. And he beat me in chess." She pointed out, making Rias realise something. If anyone ever found out about his victory, that would mean that Akira already had Sona's hand in marriage. If the situation wasn't so dire, she would have made a snarky remark about how she stuttered.She knew how much Sona Sitri valued her freedom after all.

 **Akira's POV**

 _Sunday_

"Are you not going to tell them?"

"No. They have enough for a lifetime."

 _Monday, After School_

Right now, he had probably established himself as a powerful devil of sorts. Just even a fraction of Beelzebub's aura which he released was nothing to scoff at after all, being one of the originators of the devils. Yet, it paled to Satanael's in comparison. He had seen the power of Satanael first hand, being able to just kill a false God who was quite powerful with nothing more than a single bullet. Akira had to thank Yoshida for his teachings in politics and speech, he was definitely going to need it soon.

"When they said they found a Trickster, I most certainly did not expect him to look so plain." Akira's head snapped up, looking at the man who stood in front of him. He wore a black robe which paired with his black hair. He stared into the man's red eyes and knew that he was, without a doubt, a threat.

"Who are you?" Akira knew that he had only told four people that he was a Trickster. All of them were alive. That meant that this was probably their boss. But why did he seek him out?

"I am Kokabiel, the Star of God." He declared, spreading out ten black wings.

Akira found himself sitting in a booth in a coffee place, sipping some coffee. The taste was dull compared to the one he made, but he kept that to himself. For now. "What would Azazel think? Me sitting in a booth with a human, drinking coffee." Kokabiel chuckled as he took a sip of the coffee.

"Why are you here?" Akira asked. He had to figure out the intentions of this fallen angel and deem whether he was a threat or not. After being ambushed, he wasn't going to take anymore chances.

"First of all, I would like to apologise for my subordinates' actions." Akira raised an eyebrow at that but didn't question. "Apparently, they thought that watching out for the target involved killing him. As you very well know, they paid dearly." Akira nodded at that.

"Secondly, I'll like to speak to you, Trickster." Akira was confused at that. He had heard his Personae use the title on him, but what exactly did they mean?

"What's the deal with me being a Trickster?"

"You mean to say, you don't know? Very well, I shall explain to you. For all our eternal lives, we have heard of Tricksters. They are said to be able to impact humanity with their actions alone and their power is anything but normal. Yet, none of us, no one in the Supernatural World has ever been able to meet one, much less converse with."

"Until last night." But why was Kokabiel truly here? The fallen angel had to have another purpose coming here, perhaps he was trying to recruit him?

"Yes. Imagine my shock, when Dohanseek came back with Kalawarner and Millet, the former injured quite bad and saying that Raynare had died. Then an hour later, Raynare came back in, saying that she had met Metatron. And Metatron is supposed to be dead. He died during the Great War." Akira shook his head, he had not known that Metatron died during the Great War.

"In any case. You know why I'm truly here?" Akira shook his head once more, at least he was finally going to get some answers.

"Well, it's because I have not seen a Trickster before. My Father told me that they was humanity's hope and never elaborated more. I want to see, Akira Kurusu, are you truly worthy of being called the hope of humanity?"

"I defeated a God before, I will gladly do so again to protect humanity." Akira declared.

Kokabiel then held up two fingers. "Two months, and the world will enter a war that will be on a scale never seen before."

Akira could feel bile rising up to his throat as he heard the words. Two months? Did he not have regard for humans? Forcing it down, he spoke. "Why are you telling me all this?" He had to ask the more logical question first.

"Why indeed. Why am I telling you all of this? It's because I adore humans." Akira blinked at the response, confused.

"What?"

"My Father, he called you humans the answer. When we first saw you use fire to cook meat, we were in shock. Then came the idea of modesty, where everyone had an animal skin to call their own. Then came the idea of farming and clans amongst other systems you created. We watched as you humans grew, evolve and adapt to the environment of the Earth. Let me tell you a little something. Lucifer, he fell because of a mortal woman." Kokabiel smiled in fondness of the memory. "When he saw how badly Lilith was being treated by Adam, he could no longer stand it and saved her by nearly killing Adam. In doing so, he condemned himself to fall even past the Earth and into the depths of Inferno. That was how Wrath came to be, after Adam felt the Wrath of the Morning Star."

"I want you, Akira Kurusu, to try and stop me. Show me the power that befits a Trickster. Show me why you are called the hope of humanity." With that final statement, Kokabiel stepped out of the booth. As for Akira, he had a lot of thinking to do.

It seemed that fate had once again decided to screw him over, with the appearance of Kokabiel. The fallen angel was basically asking him to decide humanity's future. Either let the war rage on and humanity would come out, tempered and evolved to the near breaking point, or let them wallow in their ignorance of the Supernatural. He hated how he was being forced to make this decision. He was never a good decision maker when there were such high stakes.

Sighing, he walked out of the coffee place, having paid his and Kokabiel's coffee, to only find himself facing a girl dressed in a magical costume of sorts. "What. The. Fuck." As if his day couldn't get any weirder.

"That's not very nice!" The girl immediately exclaimed, pouting at the words. It seemed that she hadn't received such vulgar words from people in her life.

Sighing, Akira asked. "Who are you?"

The girl immediately brightened up and did a pose that Akira was not familiar with. "I'm the magical girl, Levia-tan!" Akira's eye twitched at that. If the first part of the name she introduced herself with was any indication, Akira was sure that this was Leviathan's successor. "Leviathan would be rolling in his grave." Belphegor chuckled. He found that statement hard to disagree with.

"Why are you here?" Akira asked. He had to figure out the purpose of the Devil faction, since Serafall Leviathan was the one in charge of Foreign Affairs, thus she basically represented them as a whole.

"I heard that my sister got threatened by you or something! So, I had to come and check you out." Akira frowned at that statement. "If you don't come back to the Underworld with me, I may have to use force." She smiled sweetly once more, but Akira knew better. It was a mere mask for what Serafall Leviathan was truly capable of. The her under the mask could easily crush Akira if he wasn't prepared.

"No." Akira responded. Thankfully, the streets were devoid of life at this hour, so he could go all out.

"Well then, too bad!" A magic circle began to form on Serafall's fingertips, before ice shards began to rain down on him. Immediately, Akira crushed the World Arcana, before putting his arm up, causing a wall of flies to form as he did. He grinned. These files were extremely sturdy unlike their common counter parts, because of the fact that any impact made on the shield of files would be dispersed through the entire shield instead of on one point, causing the shield to remain sturdy. Such was the power of one of Beelzebub's species of files. "Who are you to do that?" He noticed how Serafall's eyes were narrowed, indicating that he was fighting a dangerous enemy. It seemed that she was trying to overwhelm him with killing intent, but Akira had been on death's door enough times to ignore the killing intent. The World Arcana, for some reason allowed him to use whatever powers that his Personae had, just that it would drain him very fast if he wasn't careful. It was pretty broken, but Akira knew that he was going to need it.

He was contemplating whether he should reveal himself as a Trickster but the idea was shot down quickly. He figured it would get her to leave him for a bit at most before persistent attempts came to recruit him into their faction. "Just some guy." He enjoyed the annoyed look on Serafall's face before summoning some files to attack her. These files were special as well, being able to drain magic from their opponents. He had to seriously thank Beelzebub later for lending him his power, although it was somewhat draining because he was a human manipulating thousands of little minds at one go.

Ice shards began to form and fly towards the files, it seemed that Serafall wasn't taking any chances. However, with one swipe of his hands, the armoured files from earlier began to surround the attacking force, forming another shield, this one to protect the files who were out to drain the magic from Serafall. As the ice shards had no effect on the approaching swarm, she began summoning another magic circle, this time turning the streets into an icy forest prison, where nothing could go in or out. This also resulted in the files dropping, well like files. In seconds, the whole swarm died due to them not being able to adapt to the cold temperature fast enough.

"Surrender and come with me peacefully. Your files are dead." She made it sound like Akira had no options left. Many of Akira's Personae snorted, he still had a lot of cards left to play. Indeed, Akira would have to digress with Serafall's statement.

"I never said that files were my only weapon." Akira responded before pulling out his sword and pistol. Akira narrowed his eyes when Serafall renewed her assault by shooting more ice shards and forcing the temperature of the place to drop. A subtle but powerful effect. It was as if, Serafall was trying to prevent him from getting close. Was she unable to combat in close quarters?

He had two options now. Go in for close combat, which would be the risker option since he wouldn't be able to move so well in the lowering temperatures or simply go toe to toe in long range combat. He chose the second option. " **Megidolaon**!" He called out, ripping off his mask and causing Beelzebub to appear in a flash of blue flames. Arguably one of the most powerful abilities Beelzebub had, it was able to deal widespread damage by annihilating almost everything. At least it wasn't a concentrated attack. He didn't want to kill her, or the devils would be calling for his head.

A white explosion occurred, starting from Serafall who was at the epicentre of it. The explosion blinded his eyes for a second, before he found himself able to see again. It seemed that he was able to free himself from the icy prison that Serafall trapped them in. He relished the warm air, greedily taking in gulps of it. Meanwhile, Serafall still stood, which was impressive. Not many people could withstand a Megidoloan after all. It seemed that this fight wasn't over.

"Huh, I wasn't expecting that. But I'm still not yet done." There was a savage grin on Serafall now, who seemed to be enjoying this battle. It seemed that he would have to end this soon. Dismissing Beelzebub, he asked another being for assistance. The Falcon agreed, and Akira called upon its power. Devils were beings weak to light, so why not abuse that?

" **Kougaon**!" Twin pillars of light descended from the sky, twisting around each other to form a double helix. As it struck Serafall, she yelled in pain. It seemed that it was quite effective, but she didn't seem like one who was going to go down just because of that. The thought of it got the blood pumping in his veins once more. How long had it been since he enjoyed a battle like this? How long had it been since he could let loose like this?

"Well, I didn't think that would happen, but it's not going to work." He was going to have to bring out a Persona for this. Perhaps physical wounds might finally stop her? As she began to send ice shards, forming ice everywhere around them, Akira knew that he would be in trouble unless he did something.

"Yoshitsune!" He called out while dodging the ice. It was really troublesome with the ice. He would have to use one of his most powerful physical attacks. " **Charge**!" Yoshitsune began to hold his two swords together, joined by the hilt as he charged. He had to buy Yoshitsune some time now, perhaps 30 seconds or so. However, he knew that 30 seconds was nothing to scoff at, for Serafall could easily finish him off in one second. Leaping and dodging the ice shards while Yoshitsune held his two swords together, Akira pulled out his gun and fired two bullets to counter attack. It would be foolish of him to not use everything in his hands right now after all. After all, he was facing an opponent way up high on the food chain.

He knew he was screwed when a blunt ice shard hit him in the face, causing him to lose concentration and fall down. Cursing his luck, he saw Serafall Leviathan walk and stand over him. "It's been fun, but you're coming with me." She said, ready to grab Akira with her hand. Akira grinned and Serafall noticed it. She jumped back, which proved to be her undoing.

" **Hassou Tobi**!" Yoshitsune had finished charging and slashed forth with the sword on his right hand, causing eight slashes on the ground to form, each one hitting Serafall. This formed a circle with 16 cut parts, with Serafall in the middle as she took the full brunt of a charged up Hassou Tobi.

"Goddamm it." Akira cursed he saw Serafall get up again. She was tenacious, that was for sure.

"That's it, no more playing around." He groaned as Serafall began shooting ice shards like mad after her declaration. The ice shards were the size of stalagmites in caves, ready to pierce Akira. Everything around was starting to freeze over once again, and he knew that he could not hold out much longer if he froze.

"Here goes nothing." He had never tried this before and he had no idea whether it was going to work. "Korhyu! Seiryu!" Akira roared out summoning the two dragons. They shielded Akira, before they nodded their heads together after hearing Akira's idea.

 **Without Earth, Wood cannot thrive** **Without Wood, Earth is redundant** **As Earth nurtures, Wood thrives** **As Wood thrives, Earth strengthens**

As Korhyu roared, Earth began to form around Serafall. When Seiryu's turn came, trees began to sprout, each containing flowers that were ready to bloom and spit poison at Serafall. She tried to cut them down with her ice, but the Earth continued to fuel the Wood, making it sturdy. " **Fusion Spell, Twin Dragons' Fury**!" The trees moved in a swift motion, caging Serafall in a prison, and Akira could roughly guess what happened. The flowers would probably be spitting poison at her, the combined firepower enough o match to the power of a Dragon's elemental roar materialised. Earth exploded from the inside, causing miniature Earthquakes in the small area that Akira could easily feel the vibrations of. This also assisted in making Serafall stay in one place, allowing the flowers to hit their mark. Such was the power of two Dragons combined. And it wasn't even at full power.

"An interesting thing. I had forgotten this technique until you suggested it." Akira sweatdropped at the comment. For all his infinite wisdom, the Yellow Dragon apparently still could forget things. As the Earth receded and the trees crumbled to dust before being swept away by the wind, Akira found himself looking at one unconscious Serafall Leviathan.

There were cuts all over her body, with the deep ones over her chest and one on her back. Akira sighed, he didn't mean to hurt her this bad. Her skin was still steaming from when he used one of his strongest bless skills against her. Megidolaon had caused some superficial burns and her outfit was now torn and tattered. She was uncoscious due to the toxins coursing through her, which thankfully would not kill. Seiryu had apparently made sure to tone down the power of the poison. Nightshade was deadly, especially when it came in such large doses. Sighing, he called out the Ultimate Persona of the Lovers Arcana to heal her. He was not a man without mercy after all.

Ishtar was the strongest of his healers, being able to even revive others. Then again, she was not the Goddess of Fertility and Life for no reason. " **Salvation**!" As Ishtar gestured towards Serafall, her wounds began to gradually heal, the cuts closing up. Akira noticed a phone on the ground. He was amazed that Serafall's phone was able to survive, considering how fragile iPhones were. It wouldn't do for him to leave her here.

He found the contact he was looking for. Within seconds, the phone had been picked up. "Onee-sama, why are you calling?" He could hear Sona Sitri sighing, as if she was getting ready to deal with Serafall's shenanigans.

"Tell me, Sona Sitri. Did you tell your sister about me?" Akira asked in a cold voice. It was times like this when he had to be cold and harsh.

"Kurusu-san? What is the meaning of this?"

"Answer my question first." He responded.

"I did tell my sister about you, but I didn't think..." Akira swore that he heard Sona mutter something along the lines of sis con.

"I see. She tried to bring me to the Underworld but I refused. Long story short, we fought and I won. You may want to pick up your sister. Good day." Akira said before hanging the call. He sighed, sooner or later the whole word will be looking at him because he was a Trickster. If he had to guess, only the four fallen that had survived the encounter with him and Kokabiel knew of his status as a Trickster but it would not remain for long. He then realised something. His techniques had totally obliterated the surrounding area. He ran away with the hopes of no one seeing him.

 _Home_

"Why were you out so late, Akira? And why do you have some injuries?" Morgana began shooting out questions once he opened the door. Akira looked at his arms, they were littered with cuts from ice shards, several cuts here and there.

"A devil fought me but I won." Akira responded before getting Titania to heal him.

"Oh. How was the battle?"

"Took me quite a while to beat her. It was annoying because she was able to manipulate ice extremely well. I'll say if she was more varied rather than focusing on ice only, she would be on par with the reaper." Akira commented. The Reaper was the hardest shadow he had ever faced to date, it would exploit his weaknesses like second nature and was merciless without a doubt.

Without knowing it, Akira found himself face first on the ground, his eyelids failing him as they struggled to stay open. Morgana yelped in surprise, trying to yank Akira in his teeth. Was it a side effect of him using two Personae at one go? He let that final thought go as he finally became unsconscious.

 _Velvet Room_

Akira opened his eyes once again. Hadn't he fainted? Why did his eyes open once more? Sighing, he got out of what seemed to his bed before he realised that it was a wooden board attached to the wall. He frowned at that for a second, before standing up and facing towards the entrance of the cell. The first he noticed was that there were two walkways branching out behind the large oak desk that he was familiar with. What did that exactly represent?

"Welcome back, Trickster." Akira noted that there were two more people in the Velvet Room now, besides Igor and Lavenza.

"It's been a while, Igor." He responded, facing the long nosed man. Said long nosed man chuckled before spreading out several cards. "

"I never expected you to do that. Still, it was quite the move, wasn't it?" Akira could only nod dumbly at that statement. It was indeed somewhat dumb for him to push past his limits. "Over time however, you will get used to the side effects."

Igor gestured to the cards. With a nod from Akira, he flipped the first card. Akira frowned at that one. The Fool, in its upright position.

"It seems that you, despite having completed your journey, still hold limitless potential. Who knows, what awaits you?" Igor chuckled before moving onto the second card. The Justice Arcana, reversed. "It seems that you must be aware when you make the decision, for an unwise one can lead to adverse consequences. Do not let anything influence you, young one. It would be in our best interests that you take this into consideration." Nodding his head, Akira watched in morbid fascination as Igor flipped the next card.

"The Death Arcana, upright. How intriguing. This means that something is about to end, and something else is beginning in your life." Igor flipped the fourth card. "The Star Arcana, reversed. It seems that you are dwelling on something too much." Akira frowned at that one before dismissing it. He could figure out what exactly was the reading about after he woke up in the real world. " Well, now this is interesting." Akira could not hold back a face of shock as he saw what was Igor talking about. Igor had a large grin, threatening to split his face into half.

"The World Arcana." Igor declared with a grand voice, as if it was something to be revered. "You may have completed your rehabilitation, but there is still so much to explore out in the World! You may have fulfilled your first contract, but it is never over. In short, despite you having defeated Yaldabaoth, you still can be so much more!" Akira didn't like how Igor emphasised the word more. "You are dwelling too much to make a proper decision, and whatever decision you make, something will end and something will start." That sounded somewhat ominous, he had to admit especially the last part.

"Thank you, Igor."

"No worries, it is our duty to help our guests after all." The sliver haired lady spoke. Akira noticed that she was strikingly tall, Lavenza was only half or maybe three quarters of her height. Also, none could deny her beauty. The next person, who happened to be beside Igor was a man, slightly taller than the sliver haired lady. Both held a tome each, similar to Lavenza and wore outfits of the same shade, a Velvet Blue.

Igor must have noticed his confusion, for he quickly introduced them. "Ah, these two are Theodore and Margaret. They are attendants to the Velvet Room as well." Akira nodded at the two of them, who returned the same gesture. It seemed that they didn't like to talk too much. "I would like to speak more, but time grows short. Return to your real world now."

 **A/N** **In the first chapter, I mentioned Tsukumen. For those who don't know, Tsukumem is a type of Ramen. The broth is served separately from the noodles and ingredients and is more salty. You dip the noodles into the broth before consuming it. Noodles also come with classics like eggs, pork, bamboo shoots amongst other things.** **I would like some comments about this story. If you guys feel that there's a need to improve, just give me a review. Also, thanks to those who have started following me hours after I posted the first chapter. Since my finals are up, I don't know how fast I can update this story so I'm sorry if I update quite slowly.**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: With power comes headaches

 _Saturday, Afternoon_

When he found himself waking up in a hospital bed, he panicked, before realising that he had collapsed from exhaustion and had a talk with Igor. The fortune reading still hung around in his mind, like an ominous sign of what was to come. Sighing, he stretched his arms. He had no idea how long he had been out. The fusion spell he performed had certainly taken its toll on Akira, he could still feel his body aching, his bones creaking in protest as he tried to sit up properly.

"Are you ok?" Morgana asked, hopping onto his lap. The cat laid down, staring at Akira with his blue eyes, trying to be angry with the Trickster. "I don't even know where to begin."

"Who brought me here then?" He was curious, he didn't think that Morgana would be able to drag him all the way here after all.

"For now, you need to rest. The doctors said you exhausted yourself too much to the near breaking point." Before Akira could argue anymore, he found himself closing his eyelids, too tired to argue with Morgana.

When he woke up again, he found himself looking at the face of his friends, those who had went through thick and thin with him during his time as a Phantom Thief. "Hi." Akira was the first to break the awkward silence.

"Dude, what happened to you?" Ryuji spoke the question that was on everybody's mind.

"I may or may not have fought a devil." He said very slowly. They were going to need time to process his answer after all. The answer stunned them into silence. It was like a graveyard, no one dared to speak after hearing what Akira said.

Yusuke was the first to snap back into reality, being the calmest of the team. "Pardon me, but did you just say you fought a devil?"

"Pretty sure that's what I heard." Ryuji shrugged his shoulders before coming to a realisation. "Yo, does that mean that angels exist too?"

"Not just angels. Every single myth is true. Youkai, vampires, fallen angels, you name it."

"That's effed up on so many different levels." Ryuji had his eyes wide, Makoto was thinking deeply, Ann looked as if she was going to be sick, with the sheer number of myths that she had been told that actually existed. Yusuke had his lips pressed together, in deep thought as well. Haru just stood there, not knowing how to react. Futaba began pulling out a laptop from nowhere and started typing.

"Then how is Prometheus a big ball?" Futaba pointed a finger at Akira accusingly.

"A Persona is a manifestation of the psyche. The way you see Prometheus, you see it as a big source of knowledge, I'm guessing." Akira explained.

"How do we unlock our Personae again?" The room fell silent once more at Makoto's question. Everyone realised something. They were all jealous at Akira for being able to regain his Personae. They missed the feeling to being able to fight to change the heart of corrupt adults and make the world a better place. They missed how they were fighting to make even the slightest difference. Most importantly, they missed their Personae.

"I crushed a card." He held his hand out for all to see, letting the 6 of them watching as the World Arcana slowly spin down before he crushed it. Once again, he was in his Phantom Thief outfit. He dismissed it by crushing the World Arcana once more. "Though I had to tear the mask off once more."

"That card... it seems strangely familiar. I believe there was this fortune teller at Shinjuku who used cards like that." Akira knew who Yusuke was speaking of.

"That was the World Arcana. Each of us, are represented by an Arcana because of your problems in life, be it past or present. I myself was the Fool before the World." Akira said with a solemn tone.

"Then what am I?" Futaba piped up.

"The Hermit. Because of the fact that you used to isolate yourself so much." Evidently, the response was what Futaba had been somewhat expecting. After all, she knew herself better than others, even more so than Sojiro, whom she had lived with for many years. "Also add in the fact that you did not fight at the frontlines, rather choosing to support us."

"The Chariot." Akira declared, gesturing to Ryuji. "You have a strong will, but are reckless at times." The short and simple summary made Ryuji shout in indigence.

"Remember how you confronted Kamoshida, only for him to nearly expel you and Akira?" Akira deadpanned as Ann berated Ryuji.

"Haru represents the Empress. The Arcana represents maturity and elegance." Haru shot Akira a grateful look before focusing back on the next words that he spoke.

"Makoto is the Priestess. Her intelligence along with being able to judge people well makes her suited for that Arcana."

He gestured at Yusuke next. "The Emperor. Your passion of painting and the challenges that life bring, you enjoy it."

"The Lovers." Ann was the second last. "Given how you are popular, socially amiable amongst other things, this Arcana suits you the most. Add onto the fact about the decisions you make in life."

"Morgana represents the Magician. He's got a way with words. Add in the fact that you are rather determined to become human."

"That's a lot to take in."

"The Arcana is the means by which all is revealed." Morgana commented, his tail swishing around slowly. Akira scratched his head, before realising it. Igor and Chihaya used the Tarot cards to tell his future and readings. The cards, each had an individual meaning when combined during fortune telling could easily predict your future. Although, with personal experience, it was always possible to change the future, no matter what situation you were in.

"That is some deep shit right there." Ryuji commented. Everyone knew that they had told Akira of their problems, and how he had helped them.

"What are you going to do now with your powers back?" Again, the question came from Makoto.

"I'll see what happens next and play along with it. The Devils are bound to be after me after I defeated one of their leaders." His careless tone made them realise that Akira seriously had no regard for his own safety.

"You defeated one of their leaders? How?"

"Summoning two Personae to attack together, creating a new spell of sorts. Korhyu's and Seiryu's elements are intertwined together after all."

"Intertwined? How so?"

"Wood requires a base to thrive, which Earth provides. When Wood thrives, it strengthens the Earth by holding it together." The short explanation made everyone realise something, Akira probably had many Personae which were compatible together. This meant that he could have many new spells, creating endless possibilities.

"I wonder, just how powerful can you get?" Akira didn't exactly have an answer to Makoto's next rapid fire question. Igor had told him that he had infinite potential, but even he had to have some sort of limit, right? After all, he was only a human, unlike other races which had special perks. Humans were nothing special, they were even considered the weakest race to others, according to Sona. He was sure that the Sacred Gears by God were meant to give humanity a fighting chance, yet those who held such artefacts were being monopolised to fight for other factions. Even if he tried, he wouldn't be able to name a human who left a legend in the last hundred years.

When everyone looked to Akira for an answer, he settled for simply shrugging his head. Who could answer a question that they themselves didn't have the answer to? Something was still bothering him however. "By the way, Morgana, who brought me to the hospital? And how did you guys know I ended up here?"

"You didn't lock the door so I managed to draw a stranger in to help." That explanation made some sense at the very least. Meanwhile, everyone else looked somewhat guilty, especially Futaba who looked away and chose to focus her laptop at that specific moment.

"You planted a bug in my phone, didn't you?" He sighed. Sometimes, the gang was too smart for their own good. He did mind the bug that they placed on his phone, he wanted to have some semblance of privacy after all. Right now however, he had a more pressing issue. He could feel his arms still somewhat sore and legs itching to be stretched once more.

"I really need to get out of this damm bed."

 _Monday, Evening_

Turns out that he had internal bleeding as well, which was why he collapsed. As such, he was being forced to stay in the hospital until Wednesday. Internal bleeding was no laughing matter after all, since he nearly died off blood loss. Apparently, the blunt ice shards had hit him with enough force to rupture a few capillaries, just that he didn't feel the pain. Morgana was not allowed to stay in the hospital, he was currently with Futaba and Sojiro back at Leblanc, seeing how there would be no one to take care of the feline at his house. He was bored. Really bored.

"I would have never expected my sister's defeater to be lying on a hospital bed." Akira turned his head to face the bespectacled girl who had just closed the door.

"Sitri-san." He grunted out, shifting himself into a sitting position. "What brings you here?"

"You were not at school. It is my job as Student Council President to know why."

"Even though you're still a devil, you still take human duties very seriously, huh?" Akira noticed the small frown on Sona's face before he spoke again. "Your sister did more damage than I let on. Internal bleeding, to be precise."

"Who exactly are you, Akira Kurusu? To be able to summon two dragons, defeat my sister and still heal her after all that, just who are you?" The small frown was now replaced with a thinking face.

"I ask myself that question at times, you know?" He had to constantly remember who exactly he was, a blank slate that others took over when he summoned his Personae. If he did not do so, his Personae would try to overwhelm him to become his dominant personality. And there were some he definitely didn't want to take over. Ishtar would try to seduce every single person in sight, Satan would run rampant, Alice would go around asking everyone the same question before executing them. All in all, he had to reign every single Persona in his mind in, although there were times he did let loose some of them, because it was needed.

"I see an enigma. You seem to be constantly shifting yourself at times, never having a dominant personality." Akira chuckled at that sentence softly. The shifting thing was part of him, he became what the situation would mould him to be.

"What if that was my personality? Always one at any given time, yet never." The small smirk made Sona Sitri realise something. He was not meant to be trifled with.

"That would mean that you have an adaptable personality. But such a thing is almost unheard of. Just who are you, Kurusu-san?" Akira noticed how she kept pressing the question, like her life depended on it.

"Why are you so curious?"

"..." He pinched his nose and sighed.

"They sent you to dig up info on me, right?"

"Very astute, Kurusu-san."

"I'm afraid that I will not give any information about myself. Not yet, at the very least." He decided that revealing that he was a Trickster was a bad idea, for now at the very least. The title should be used at a much more proper time at the very least.

"I see." Sona pressed her lips together. "Then are you willing to join my peerage?"

"I'm afraid that is a topic not for discussion." Akira closed the topic with that sentence.

"I see. It was worth a try." Sona threw a wry smile at Akira.

"I imagine that if it were your other counterparts, it wouldn't be as pleasant as this." He remarked.

"Indeed. Rias might try to persuade you a bit more before she gives up, but others are not as kind as the two of us. Such is the nature of most devils. They believe that humans are inferior to them and some have tried to force humans into their peerages. Or so I've heard."

"Thanks for the heads up. At least I'll know what I can expect from your kind."

"Don't mention it. I'll be going off now." With one final wave, Akira watched the lithe figure of Sona Sitri leave the room.

 _Thursday, After School_

Akira ruffled his hair as he finished a day at school. It was his first day back at school, with nothing too much happening apart from answering a few questions posed to him. He had been discharged yesterday. Thankfully, he still had his bank account which held his money garnered from selling items found in Mementos to Iwai and not to mention the loot he got from shadows to pay for his medicine bills. He was not ready to explain how he got a 5 digit bill from the hospital to his parents.

Come to think of it, he still had not joined a club. Hopefully it wasn't compulsory. He didn't feel like joining a club after all.

"Omph!" Akira found himself stopping short of someone who he had not noticed before. Said person before him was currently on the floor, getting a faceful of the ground.

"You ok?" He asked, picking up the boy. The boy looked pretty normal, with brown hair and matching eyes.

"Yeah, thanks man." Then he frowned for a second. "Aren't you that new transfer student?"

"Yeah, I'm Akira Kurusu. Why were you running?" Akira could tell with how heavy his panting was and the fact that he had his hands on his knees as he gasped for his breath.

"Hyoudou Issei. Well-" His explanation was cut off by shouts from an angry horde which seemed to be heading in his direction.

"COME BACK HERE, YOU PERVERT! TAKE YOUR PUNISHMENT LIKE A MAN!" Even from quite a distance, Akira could hear the voices loud and clear, calling for the blood of one of the Perverted Trio.

"Hide there." Akira said, gesturing to some bushes. They would provide some cover, as long as he didn't move. Issei shot a weird look at him before doing as he was instructed.

"Shit, where did he go?" One of the girls gasped as they got closer. Akira pretended to be absorbed in his thoughts, not noticing the horde until he was called out. "Oh, it's Kurusu-senpai!" One of the girls gasped as they saw Akira right in front of them."Sorry to bother you, Kurusu-senapi, did you see a brown haired guy run past?"

"He went there." Akira gestured to a place that would make sense, a block of classrooms. Without any warning, the girls continued their hunt for the last pervert.

"Thanks, Kurusu-senpai! You really saved my life there! But why help someone like me?"

"Why not? And call me Akira." He responded, sticking out a hand. He certainly never expected a gentle voice sounding out once Issei took his hand as the world froze for a split second.

 _I am thou, thou art I_ _Thou hast acquired a new vow_ _It shall become the wings of rebellion and breaketh the chains of captivity_ _With the birth of the Aeon Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shalt lead to freedom and new power_

"Well, see you then, Akira-senpai!" Issei waved his hand before dashing off. Akira frowned at the new confidant he just got. That also meant welcoming new Personae into his heart. He wasn't too familiar with the Aeon Arcana. Perhaps he could ask Chihaya? He felt a new presence manifest itself in his mind. The feeling of him receiving a new Persona. The moment he spoke, Akira knew that he was better off without another being in his mind.

 **Friday, After School**

It seemed that Rias Gremory had either finally built up the courage to see him or she had not simply known about him before today. Currently, he was being escorted to the Occult Research Club by Akeno Himejima. He figured this visit would come sooner or later, given how he had summoned two dragons to defeat Leviathan. Dragons were a force to be reckoned with, it seemed. **"We dragons are masses of energy which represent raw power. What did you expect?"** Seiryu boasted, before he felt Korhyu's presence, ready to berate the Azure Dragon.

A solid knock on the door and he had been invited to come in. He walked in, his hands in his pocket. "Hello, Akira Kurusu. Welcome to the Occult Research Club."

 **"Damm, those are some fine specimens. Bang them!"** Akira mentally groaned at Mara. The dammed penis monster, as his fellow thieves dubbed, had been attempting to persuade Akira to bang a girl from this school and lose his virginity ever since he regained the Buddhist monster. He knew that he could easily snag a girl if he wanted, he was popular in the school for being the quiet and mysterious transfer, making him having some sort of charm apparently.But he definitely wasn't that desperate to lose his virginity.

"Seems pretty nice for a worn out building." He commented, before settling down on the seat that Rias gestured him to. The ORC was a club exclusive to the popular people of the school, and Akira finally understood why. With Ongyo-Ki back, he had sharpened senses which allowed him to detect that the people in the same room as him had different auras from a normal human. They were devils and Rias used the Occult Research Club as a cover up for their activities.

"Thanks. So, what are your intentions?"

"Me? Nothing much." He noticed the frown on Rias' features upon hearing his response.

"You expect me to believe that? You waltz into my territory, defeat some fallen angels with an unknown power and defeat one of the four Satans with two dragons no less. So, I'll ask again. What are your intentions?"

"Like I said. Nothing much. Just wanna clear high school, enter collage and get a degree. I defeated them because they provoked me." Akira ran a hand through his hair, this was getting somewhat frustrating. The one time that he had no motive, people start to question him. "The dragons are under my control, so you don't need to worry about them running rampant."

"The dragons, under your control?" She chortled for a second right there, before regaining her calm exterior. "Forgive me, but I find it hard to believe that you, a human can keep a dragon, let alone two under control."

"Believe what you will. It is none of my business if you choose not to. After all, I'm the only thing that stands between destruction of this city which the Shinto would hold your faction responsible for and two dragons." He had a third dragon in the form of Set or Seth, as the compendium listed the Egyptian God as such but he would not mention it.

"I... see." It was clear as daylight that Rias had never been rejected in her life before, if the small pause that she had was any indication. "Say, what makes you able to control them?"

"And why should I tell you?" The sharp retort made Rias rethink her next words.

"Because we can then be sure that you are not a threat to us." She managed to get out.

"Very well. I'll only show how my power works. Nothing more, nothing less." Akira declared before concentrating. He might as well extend an olive branch first after all, if he wanted them off his backs for a bit.

He could summon Personae without his thief outfit but it took more concentration as he had to filter out properly the over 200 plus masks in his mind unlike how his outfit would serve as a filter for him. The Fool Tarot card began to spiral down, and Akira crushed it. Behind him, Arsene manifested once more in a flash of harmless blue flames.

"That's quite the Sacred Gear you have."

"I never said he was a Sacred Gear." Akira commented as he dismissed Arsene. "I'll be going now."

 **A/N: This is a filler chapter of sorts. Apologies for that shorter chapter.** **On a side note, sorry for last chapter. Turns out that transferring my work from Microsoft word to screwed things up a bit, so apologies for that.** **I still have roughly two weeks of exams to go, so I'll be able to update twice a week at most. As usual, leave reviews and tell me how I can improve. This is my first fanfic so I'm trying to not screw this up.** **If you're wondering why I put Issei as the Aeon Arcana, it's because I feel that he has not found his place in the world yet, aside from being a pervert. Through the story, he will learn to understand the true world around him and will eventually fimd his place.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Decisions

 _Locations and time frames_ **Persona Speech and skills**

 _Sunday Night_

"It's been a while, Trickster." Akira found himself staring at his strongest Persona. Satanael. Instead of having a size that rivalled skyscrapers, he was now roughly the size of the Seraphs, perhaps slightly larger. He casually held his revolver in his left hand, leaving his right hand free. The general style uniform was still present, along with his black halo. Come to think of it, his 6 wings looked like a cross between devil wings and fallen angel ones.

"Satanael." He greeted. The Persona stared at him with red eyes before laughing in amusement.

"It's been a while, Trickster. Truly, your thoughts are most intriguing."

"Well, what can I say?" For some reason, conversing with Satanael seemed to relax him. Satanael was apparently the second to fall after Lucifer, but that still didn't explain his wings. Meh, he would figure it out in time. For now, he had to focus on why Satanael called him here.

"I see that you are finally paying attention once more. To be fair, change is about to come. The world is going to change. The boy of the Aeon Arcana is proof of that. Keep him safe, for he will influence many events to come."

"What exactly is the Aeon Arcana?" The question had been bugging him for the last three days ever since he formed the new bond. His Personae had actually refused to answer him, with many not knowing what exactly it was and the select few who knew choosing not to divulge anything.

"Think of the Aeon as one of the two which make up a whole."

"The Aeon with another makes up a whole?" The hint that Satanael dropped was somewhat scarce, but at least it was something to begin with. The Aeon was meant to be paired with another Arcana, but what? There were at least twenty major Arcanas, not to mention the minor ones.

"Humanity has forgotten its true meaning. Perhaps you can rediscover that again. Farewell for now, Trickster."

 _Monday Lunch Break, School_

Akira hadn't gotten much sleep after his short talk with Satanael. The Aeon Arcana was still pretty much a mystery to him. He had tried to surf the net for answers, which found himself browsing through websites. Many were fakes, but one particular one stood out. If what it said was true, then the Judgement Arcana would go hand in hand with the Aeon. But there had to be so sort of deeper meaning to it.

"Well, I'll be dammed. The pervert just got himself turned into a devil." Ongyo-Ki, his best sensor commented as Akira watched said pervert approach him.

"Hyoudou-san." Akira greeted as he took a seat next to his senior. "How are you doing?"

"Er... nothing much." Clearly he had something on his mind.

"Something happened, right?" Akira took a quick check for his surroundings, making sure that no one was around before he continued. "And that does not happen to have anything to do with you becoming a devil, right?"

"How did you know?" Issei gasped out loud.

"Took a guess. Have fun in the Occult Research Club or Student Council, I suppose." Akira answered nonchalantly.

"I got recruited by the Occult Research Club. They told me to be wary of you. I don't understand why, you seem like a nice guy apart from your quietness in school."

"How naive you are, Hyoudou-san. You should heed their advice."

"I don't see why." Akira laughed at the defiance against the warning that the ORC had given Issei.

"Let's just say that I am a dangerous person and leave it at that."

"You don't seem dangerous to me."

"Now do I?" Akira had a sadistic smile on his face, along with his glasses off and had red eyes glowing. He had no idea how those came about but it was times like this that he was able to use it to its fullest potential. Issei shuddered in fear until Akira put on his glasses again and stopped smiling, returning to his neutral expression.

"Point taken." He admitted, fear still on his face.

"Why did Rias recruit you, anyway?" He had to know the reason.

"They said I had some sort of Sacred Gear and even helped me unlocked it! Look!" Issei declared proudly before summoning a red gauntlet with a emerald gem embedded on it. "They said it was a Twice Critical or something like that."

 **"After all this time, my vengeance is near... The Boosted Gear, the bejewelled cage of Ddraig the Welsh Dragon. The boy insults what he holds."** His latest Persona made itself known with a low growl. It's presence was tremendous, making the smaller Personae flee in terror. Akira could imagine a sneer appearing on its face. **"Should you ever face him or the dragon in combat, I will face him."** It was not a request, but rather a demand. That Persona, Akira knew how terrifying it was. He would yield, for fear of him terrorizing the others.

"The bejewelled cage of Ddraig the Welsh Dragon? What are you talking about, Akira-senpai?" Huh, he must have said it out loud when he was still in his mind.

"Nothing much, Hyoudou-san."

"Well, I gotta go now, Akira-senpai! And call me Issei!" He called as he dashed away.

Your bond with the Perverted High Schooler has reached Level 2!

This was new. Previously, he could feel that the bond had strengthened, even if by a minuscule amount. Now, it seemed to be much more convenient. He wasn't going to complain, but the title for Issei was just simply ridiculous. Then again, it suited him somewhat. He couldn't be paying attention to everything all the time.

 _Wednesday After School, Town_

Akira found himself loitering in the streets of Kuoh once more, having nothing much to do. "Kokabiel." He greeted sharply as said fallen angel landed in front of him, folding his ten wings as he did so. He was wary, Ongyo-Ki didn't warn him of Kokabiel, that either meant that he knew about it but chose not to speak or couldn't simply sense him at all. Strange, Senjutsu was one of the few things that touched upon the flow of life, which meant that Kokabiel could be detected no matter what since he lived. Yet, the fallen angel had managed to evade someone who was a skilled practitioner of the art.

"Akira." He returned the greeting with a short bow. "Shall we?" He gestured to a coffee place, the same coffee place that he and Kokabiel had talked in last time. Seeing no other choice, Akira walked in.

"Have you decided?" Kokabiel spoke first once their coffees came.

"Not yet." He decided to respond with the honest truth.

"Not yet? I understand. After all, having to make such a crucial decision takes time." Kokabiel laughed as he drank his coffee.

 **"Be wary. I couldn't even sense him coming."** Ongyo-Ki reminded. Akira frowned at the warning before realising something.

"How did you get into this city? Last time I checked, it was under the devils' rule." Kokabiel laughed once more before answering.

"So naive, they are. They couldn't even tell that I tampered with the wards. I also made sure to mask my presence. How else did you think that you weren't able to detect me in the first place?" Akira nodded at his explanation, it made sense. Time for his next question then.

"Then why are you here?" Why was Kokabiel here again? He had announced his intentions, but Akira didn't see another reason for the fallen angel to come here.

"Why? What an interesting question. Tell me, why did you fight against Yaldabaoth then?" Akira swallowed. How had he known that? Ignoring the expression of Akira, he rambled on. "I figured it out. That costume that the others described to me, not to mention the waves of power that seemed to pour out in a clash of titans. Even the Ouroboros felt it, and is trying to actively recruit you as we speak."

"Who exactly is the Ouroboros?" Akira needed to figure out who he or she was. Why would a supernatural being be bothered to try and recruit him?

 **"The Ouroboros is powerful. So powerful that I would be flicked aside like a flea if I were to try and fight her."** Seiryu admitted.

"So you don't know of the World's most powerful existences?" Kokabiel chuckled at that. "Let me educate you a bit. In The Top Ten Strongest Beings of the World, The Ouroboros Dragon is in the second." That would explain Seiryu's statement. It was not everyday that you heard a dragon who would admit that someone was stronger than them. A Dragon's pride was a fickle thing after all. But why would such a being try to recruit him? It seemed that for every answer he got, two more questions would pop up. It was an never-ending cycle.

"Whatever you did to kill Yaldabaoth, some sort of higher power seemed to cover it. I wonder, how did you do it? Not even Azazel could see through the fog, you know?" He smirked. Akira on the other hand was conflicted. He wanted to tell the truth, but did not want to reveal his trump card. Not yet, at the very least.

"I will answer that at a later time." He finally responded.

"Very well, Akira. I shall respect your decision. Now, will you answer my question?" Akira realised it was not an option.

"I... wanted humanity the freedom to choose. To not be slaves to a future that is preordained for them. We humans have a short time in this world compared to other races. The power of choices is what makes or breaks us."

"You almost sound like someone I once knew." That was the first thing Kokabiel said. "God have humanity free will. You seem to know his true purpose was. Tell me, why did he give humans free will?"

Akira paused for a second. He didn't exactly have an answer to that one. The choice he made back at Kamoshida's palace would have made or broke him. He would have never gained the World if he hadn't chosen to continue being Phantom Thieves after the heist at Kamoshida's palace. He would have never forged the bonds he had today had he not chosen to stop Shido from dragging that woman to God knows where. Laughing mentally at his choice of words for his thoughts, he finally settled on an answer. "Potential. The potential to become something more."

"I couldn't have said it any better myself!" Kokabiel had a grin that threatened to split his face in half. It creepily reminded him of Igor, minus the long nose. "When God gave humans free will, He watched as the first time humans were forced to make a choice. A human tried to seek God's will, but received nothing in return. He began sprouting curses and expressed hatred for the God he once worshipped. Yet, do you know what God did?"

"He did not interfere." Akira made an educated guess.

"Sharp. He did not do anything. He just sat there, on His throne with infinite patience, staring down at the humans as they began to hate him. Even when Uriel offered to go down and burn those heretics and zealots, He merely refused and sat there watching. He kept on watching." Kokabiel's tone had taken a darker turn. "My apologies." He responded, realising that his tone was low and near malicious.

"It's alright."

"Do you understand what I'm trying to get at?"

"You want me to make a choice, no matter what. Either way, you will see humanity's potential fulfilled."

"Indeed. I hope that you do not back out of this."

"Why, Kokabiel? Why are you doing this? And why me?" He was nearly fed up with all the vague answers that he got at this point.

"I want to see the infinite potential. See what lies beyond our grasp that made my Father ordered us to bow to you. And I chose you because you seem to be able to represent humanity as a whole the best. After all, if no one was there to make the hard decisions, the world would be a poorly run place, don't you think?" Kokabiel made an valid point that Akira couldn't refute.

"Is that why you fell? Because of your hatred that turned into love for humans?" Akira had caught onto something. He had spoken about humans with such a passion to the near point of obsession, yet the hatred that seeped in earlier indicated otherwise. "Some sort of grudge against humans?"

His answer was nothing more than a smile. "Perhaps I might share with you one day, but not now."

"You spoke as if God is no longer around. Why?" His next question came out tumbling. He had caught the past tense used when he talked about God, like he didn't exist anymore. But it wasn't true, right?

"You are sharper than I give credit. I might as well tell you now, since only the top brass know. God is dead."

"What?!" Akira nearly shouted, but managed to keep it down even as other customers began looking over. When they saw Akira sit down and look around, they turned back. "I'm sorry, but how is that possible?"

"Did you really think I'll spill the beans that easily? Maybe next time, when we meet again. Farewell for now, Akira Kurusu. For both our sakes, I hope you do not inform any of the devils about our conversations." Kokabiel strode out, leaving Akira alone, stunned in the booth.

 _Wednesday Night, Home_

"Where have you been? It's nearly 8!" Morgana whined as he hopped onto the sofa once Akira came back.

"I've been around." He replied tersely. He was still reeling in shock about the revelation from Kokabiel. The general public had not heard that God was nothing more than a forgone conclusion, as Kokabiel had said.

"You're lying. Where exactly have you been?" Morgana punctuated every word that he said, getting ready to pounce on Akira.

"Please, Morgana. I do not need this right now." Hearing Akira's pleading tone, he relented.

"Alright, but I expect you to tell me what's on your mind later, alright?" Nodding his head, he collapsed on his bed once more.

 _Velvet Room_

"We meet again, Trickster." Akira found himself staring at a Velvet Blue celling. Groaning, he got up to face Igor again. Something had changed here, but he couldn't exactly place what exactly had changed.

"Lavenza. Igor." He greeted, facing the two of them. It was somewhat of a relief to not be wearing prisoner style clothes along with that chain that held him to a metal ball.

"I see that you are still conflicted." Akira nodded his head at that.

"I simply don't know what to do." He admitted. He was like what Kokabiel had said about the first human who tried to seek for God's advice, a lost sheep who didn't know his way nor knew what to do.

"Then let me give you two words. Memento Mori." Igor spoke, chuckling. "Remember that all things must die, no matter what."

Akira frowned at those words. Memento Mori? That was probably in relation to the Death Arcana he got from his fortune telling session with Igor. "We are all prisoners of fate. Chained to time itself, we will cease to be one day. Everything will, no matter how long they exist or how powerful it is. I offer you these words as an aid to help you make your decision. As you see, the choice is getting closer." He gestured to the area behind him and Akira realised what had changed. The doorways of light had moved. They were now closer than ever. However, one of the doorways was dimmer than the other.

"I can only hope that your judgement is not clouded, and that you make the correct decision. Then again, there is no correct decision for the months to come." Lavenza added in, her tone sombre.

"Thank you." He said silently.

"One last advice. There are more Persona users than you think." Igor said slyly. What exactly was the long nosed man thinking? Before Akira could say anymore, his eyelids felt so heavy, he had to close them. He needed to fall asleep. As Akira vanished from the Velvet Room and returned to the real world, Lavenza turned to her master.

"Are you sure that was wise?"

"It's only a matter of time until he meets them. It is their fate after all."

"If you say so, Master."

 _Thursday Morning, School_

He was reflecting his dream. He had definitely been in the Velvet Room. And the words Memento Mori came back to him, haunting his mind like a ghost. Memento Mori, huh? Sighing, he began to prepare for class. He still felt tired, as if he had went into a palace and finished the infiltration within a day. He had done that for Futaba's palace, with the result being that his muscles nearly giving way once he reached Leblanc.

He began spacing off, as the teacher had stepped in and began to rant about some random topic. Honestly, he didn't care. He had checked the syllabus and he was well ahead of it. He didn't have to care much, given how he could easily be in the top ten of the year if he tried during his exams, at the very least.

Before he knew it, another presence, like the one Mr. Ushimaru had before throwing a piece of chalk. The first couple of times, he had gotten hit due to not being able to react fast enough. Thankfully, with his fighting skills increased after several palaces raids, he was able to dodge the damm piece of chalk that would hurt like hell. He leaned back casually, dodging something that had obviously been aimed at his head. As he turned to look at what had been thrown at him, it was a piece of crushed paper. "I hope that was enough to get your attention, Kurusu-san." The teacher went back to teaching, while the girls in the class began muttering. He had just drawn undue attention to himself, hadn't he?

As the class finally ended, Akira found himself on the receiving end of Sona's glare. "Kurusu-san. I would appreciate it if you do not slack off and pay attention to the class."

"Alright." He sighed. He just wasn't really in the mood. His mind had still been weighing on Igor's words. Dammed Memento Mori. Those two words could mean so many things, from the death of someone to the end of something. Just what exactly he had been talking about? Times like this, he disliked the fact that Igor always spoke in riddles, be it the real or the fake.

"Something on your mind?" He felt guilty about keeping it a secret, but he had to. If the devils knew who had he been talking to and what kind of information he had been holding, it would spell trouble. They would come after him. Hell hath no fury like sis cons. Wait, that was wrong. Hell had fury like sis cons. Shuddering at the thought, Akira focused back onto the topic at hand.

"It's nothing much." He responded with a stoic face.

"I see. I hope that you will pay attention in class later on." She waved goodbye before heading off to her next class.

"Ara ara, it seems that we have the same class together." Akira wanted to facepalm himself as he turned around to face Akeno Himejima. His luck seemed to be quite bad recently, if now was of any indication. Akeno was a tease, that was for certain although he couldn't tell whether she was a fully fledged sadist. Perhaps he could ask Alice later. He now had to contend with the fact that Akeno would be trying to get him flustered.

While he wasn't one to be flustered that easily, the persistent attempts from Akeno soon proved themselves to be annoying, if anything. He began to tune out both the teacher's and Akeno's voice, settling for talking to his Persona. **"She is a fallen-devil hybrid."** Well, Akira wasn't certainly expecting that from Lucifer. Then again, she had the violet eyes that the five fallen angels he had met so far also had. It was almost like a characteristic that he had seen amongst them, except for Satanael's blood red eyes.

"I think she hides it, for a very good reason as well." Akira concluded.

 **"Why do you say so?"** Arsene called out, swinging a metaphorical key around.

"She did not introduce herself as a hybrid, neither did Rias Gremory. She was only introduced as a devil, remember?"

 **"An astute observation indeed."** The Queen of the Fae muttered. **"Perhaps she has a hidden past?"** Akira mentally shrugged his shoulders, their guesses were as good as his.

 **"I think she likes to play with others, just like me, Onii-chan!"** Alice said cheerfully, twirling around in excitement of finding a new person who had the same pastime as her. Though, Akira didn't think that Akeno was actually the kind to kill. **"I wanna play with her, Onii-chan!"**

Note to self, never ever summon Alice when Akeno is around. The two of them could cause some serious damage if left together and unchecked. **"Pfft! You're just jealous that she has bigger boobs than you. That's why you wanna play with her!"** Pixie yelled in Alice's face as she fluttered away.

 **"Come back here and let me play with you!"** Alice yelled as she began to chase the much weaker Persona.

"Someone stop them, please." Akira actually liked the drama that happened in his brain. It was never a dull moment, was contradicting personalities against each other when they were not battling. As he finally focused back to the real world, it appeared that enough time had passed such that it was Lunchtime now. Hopefully someone had actually stopped Alice from terrifying the poor Pixie. Might as well start eating his curry and drink some coffee.

To others it might seem somewhat absurd but it was the perfect combo to him. Having the hot liquid surging down his throat after a spicy meal was something he particularly enjoyed. "You cook yourself?" Akira noticed Akeno walking towards him, a lunchbox in hand.

"Yes." He responded before beginning to eat.

"It seems well made. What did you do?"

"A gentleman never reveals his secrets." Akeno made a pout at that. Akira had almost added the word thief to the statement he made. Arsene was rubbing off on him more than he thought.

"I suppose I'll have to find out somehow then." She made a smile that seemed to be radiant as she ate her lunch.

"Coffee?" He asked, holding out his spare flask.

"I'll take it. Such a gentleman you are. Although, I'm more of a tea person." Akira smirked as he watched Akeno down the beverage. "That was surprisingly delightful. What did you add?"

To be truth told, it wasn't a matter of what he added but more of how he made the coffee. The coffee was grinded down to a coarse texture with it not being too small the key point before using the method of making drip coffee to finish it up. "A master never reveals his secrets." Indeed, he had learnt from the best, to the point where Sojiro had admitted that it was on par with his own coffee. Though, he wanted to make his stand out. Perhaps a touch of cinnamon would work? He would need to experiment a bit.

"Why so secretive?" She pouted once again, leaning forward as if she was trying to gleam his secrets while emphasising her swaying cleavage.

"Why not?" He smirked in response as Akeno leant back, a disappointed look on her face.

 _After School_

"I didn't expect us to be neighbours." Akira watched as Akeno opened the door next to his apartment. This was going to cause quite the headache. As he opened the door, he could have sworn hearing laughter from Akeno's apartment as she closed the door. Just another classic day at school.

 ** _A/N: I read in one of the comments that Salvation is only available for Messiah. I would like to correct this. The only unique skill Messiah has is Oratorio. Salvation can be learned by Satanael, Ishtar, Mercurius and a few others._** ** _Btw for this chapter I actually listened to Bigger Picture by Foria and Puppet to finish this up. Pretty weird, if you ask me given how the song was in the Electronic genre. Still having exams, got one week left. So updates will be once a week at most._**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Training

 _Time frames and locations_

 **Persona speech and skills**

[Dragon Speech]

POVs

Friday After school, School

Akira's POV

"Akira-senpai, will you please train me?" Akira was sitting opposite Issei, drinking some coffee when he heard the question.

"Why would you want me to train you?" Akiea was somewhat confused. The Hyoudou Issei he knew wouldn't ask to be trained, he would be perving on something or at least talking about porn.

"Since Buchou said that you are a dangerous person, you should be really strong, right? Train me so that I can protect Rias' virginity!" Akira's eye twitched as he heard the bold declaration.

"I'm going to pretend that I never heard that. Do you mind explaining to me why you wished to be trained?" Instantly, Issei nodded his head eagerly as he began to speak again.

"So today, I was heading home with Asia when Buchou called an emergency meeting." Asia? That must be the new transfer student that came in the second year. Akira didn't know too many details about it but it was rumoured that she was a blonde. "Then when we arrived, there was this extremely beautiful maid that called Buchou Ojou-sama. Before Buchou could explain why she called everyone here, there was this womanizer who teleported in, calling Buchou her soon to be wife."

"You did something rash, didn't you?" Akira knew Hyoudou Issei well enough that the pervert was one to act before thinking, never considering the consequences.

"Yeah. But long story short, we have to fight a Rating Game against that Yakitori to prevent Rias from getting married off!" The pervert admitted before summing up his story in several words.

"So let's say I train you. What can I expect in return?" Issei looked stunned for several seconds before putting his finger up.

"I'll give you some of my porn! One of my most valuable!" Akira sweatdropped at the response he got. Another note to self, never ever summon Mara when Issei was around. His Personae all shuddered in agreement, fearing the consequences if such a pervert was to meet Mara. Thankfully, Mara was always asleep unless summoned. Most of the time.

"I'll train you, I guess. Do you have like any sort of large space for me to use? Oh I do not need your porn." If Issei held a dragon in his arm, Akira was going to do his best to help unleash the destructive power of such a being. He was going to need it, against his vengeful Persona.

"Thank you, Akira-senpai!" Issei cheered at the fact that he would be trained for free.

"Unlike you, I'm not that desperate."

"Why are you so mean?" Issei was crying amine tears at this point.

"Come on, let's see if I can't convince Rias to train you." Issei stared as Akira began walking towards the ORC, a smirk on his face.

 _Your Bond with the Perverted Highschooler has Reached Level 3!_

Scene Break

"Well, what will it be?" Akira asked, facing Rias. Rias on the other hand was having a mental debate with herself. Akira could potentially train Issei better than she ever could hope to in these ten days, but she would own him a favour. And let it be known that the Gremory Heiress does not give out favours that easily. Yet, Issei was pretty much her trump card for defeating Riser. A Longinus' power, especially a dragon type was no joke. "Tell you what, I'll also train another peerage member of your choosing."

"I accept." Rias was immediately sold, if Akira was as strong as she thought, then she could easily win the Rating Game. After all, he had defeated a Maou.

"It's a deal then. Training two peerage members for a favour. I guarantee that you will be satisfied with the result." Akira said as he shook her hand. To be honest, he was doing this because of Issei. Even though the pervert had flaws, his will to help others was something that he admired. It kind of reminded him of himself before he went into Kamoshida's Palace, when he had always made it a point to try and help others.

Right now, he had to figure out who could train Issei and who exactly his opponents were. "So who's your opponent?"

"Riser Phenex." She practically spat out the name with venom and disgust. "He's nothing more than a pig, yet I'm being sold off to him!"

"You value your freedom huh?" The situation reminded him of that one time where they had to change Okumura's heart or else Haru would have been sold off. In a sense, he couldn't help but find harrowing similarities in these two situations. "I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you. A favour for my freedom seems pretty worth it." Rias regained her composure.

"I'll tell you this now. Your peerage is good at battles, but bad in wars." Akira had noticed the problem of the peerage. It was a quality over quantity type. This mean that if they lost one member, they would suffer far greater losses than the typical peerage. Given how Kiba and Issei were Sacred Gear holders, with the Knight being proficient with his and Issei's screaming raw power, those two were invaluable. Akeno, Koneko and the new girl, Asia all probably had their own strong traits but they never utilised what they had to their fullest potential. Akeno being a Queen appeared to only focus on her magical powers, not using the speed nor defences that came along with it.

"What do you mean?" Rias had her eyes narrowed, as if she was insulted.

"I'm merely stating the truth. You should think about it yourself, you know?" Akira waved his hand innocently, though Rias needed to understand what exactly her peerage was, if she had to have hope of winning her Rating Game against Riser Phenex.

"I see."

"Do you have a coffee machine at where ever we are going?" Akira scratched his head as he asked the question. He sure as hell wasn't going to give up his daily routine of making coffee if he had to train them.

"Why the sudden request?"

"He makes good coffee, Buchou." Akeno said, a genuine smile on her face as she reminisced the taste of Akira's coffee. "But he won't reveal his secrets." Her face turned into a pout.

"Maybe you'll find out in this trip."

 _Saturday Night, Mansion in the_ _Mountains_

"Why does Akeno look half dead and where is Issei?" Rias demanded as she analysed Akeno's state at the dining table.

"I trained them. Issei is still being healed."

"Healed? What exactly did you do to him?" Rias could not be more confused to this point.

"Are you sure you want to know?" Akira started to sweat, for he knew of how deadly women could be, when angered especially. Given how Akira had heard from Issei that Rias was protective of him, it was safe to say that the red head had a crush on Issei, though the pervert was too dumb to realise. For now, at the very least.

"Yes." He sighed, here goes nothing.

"He should have regrown the leg he lost for the third time today." Akira admitted before sweating profusely as the demonic power of Rias began to manifest and a magic circle appeared on her hand, ready to blast Akira into oblivion.

 _Earlier, Mountain_

Issei's POV

He landed on the ground with another sickening crunch. He could feel his body wracked with pain as he broke an arm, but he still stood up. His teacher was not Akira, but rather something that Akira had summoned. It was almost a wonder to Issei that Akira hadn't gone mad, with such a dark entity in his mind.

 **"Good. You are learning."** He gritted his teeth in preparation for the next blow, but no pain came. His teacher had been tossing him around like a rag doll for the past day, his body already past its limits yet he kept on persevering. He had thought himself as a meat shield, given that he was a mere pawn, yet Akira had dismissed him of that notion. He had learnt about Promotion, an ability that allowed him to promote into a Queen, Bishop, Rook or Knight.

To dish out punishment, you must first be able to withstand it. That was the first lesson that his current teacher had drilled into his mind. He had lost two legs, which his senpai had helped to regrow. He never knew that Akira was that strong, to be able to regenerate amputated limbs without breaking a sweat.

 **"When I first fought Ddraig in battle, I threw blows that would have killed a Drake twice over. Yet, he shrugged it off, even laughed and called my attempts pathetic as he advanced towards me."** His teacher threw an attack with his tail, but Issei managed to dodge, even if barely. **"A Dragon's hide is meant to be impenetrable. Y Ddraig Goch was a prime example of that."** There was a hint of grudging respect as he spoke before attacking once again. **"He then overwhelmed me with nothing but raw power. The day of my defeat, I swore vengeance on the Welsh."**

"GAH!" Issei coughed out blood as he was struck by an arm, right in the stomach.

 **"I went to the Northern Realm and burrowed myself into the roots of Yggdrasil, to seek to knowledge of the World Tree and gain more power. In doing so, I cast off my identity as a Fire Dragon and became a Frost one as the harsh winters began to batter down upon me."** A roar of ice shards pummelled Issei into the ground. **"When I finally gained enough power, after centuries, I came out, ready to have a battle against the Welsh that would make the mortal realm shake. Instead, did you know what I found?"** Issei weakly shook his head as he got up once more before falling onto the ground.

 **"I found the Welsh, caged in that pitiful gauntlet by a being that was sadly more powerful than me! I was bitter, and in my rage, I culled several human settlements on that day. Even though The Welsh Dragon was caged, he still has his pride. Pride through his hosts who would crush their adversaries with raw strength, defeating the White One of their generation with ease or the other way round."** With one final swipe of his claws, Issei lost another leg.

 **"One day, that Pride of his shall be crushed when he is released from that cage of his. I will show him his place, and take his title of the Heavenly Dragon!"** He roared out, the sound enough to nearly break Issei's eardrums. **"They shall know of Nidhogg, the Dragon of Frost who defeated the Red Dragon Emperor! I have waited for centuries. What more is a few decades?"**

Issei at this point was numb, his nerves were on overdrive from the pain he had experienced today, yet it would no doubt be helpful in allowing him to withstand blows. Suddenly, the blow by the Pawn Mira seemed much more insignificant compared to an attack by Nidhogg. The dragon seriously knew how to inflict pain, but was that from absorbing knowledge from the World Tree? Issei didn't know what to think. **"You pass today's lesson. Many would have fainted already in face of such pain, yet you have managed to withstand it. Tomorrow, we shall begin on something else."**

Those were the last few words he heard before finally fainting. He could no loner take the pain, though he heard footsteps before he finally did faint.

Akira's POV

Sighing, he began to pick up Issei, who was bloodied and battered. "Did you really have to be this harsh on him?" He asked the dragon, who regarded him with a steely gaze.

 **"The strongest of weapons are forged by the hottest of flames and the mightiest of blows. How did you think Ddraig gained his title as the Red Dragon Emperor?"** Nidhogg snorted.

Akira somewhat hated it when his Personae made a valid point. Issei was on the brink of death, thankfully Nidhogg had not overdone it. He would need Ishtar to heal him, but even that would not help Issei's tiredness. The poor guy was going to have to sleep it off.

He was broken out of his thoughts when Nidhogg roared and ice shards came out of his mouth, impaling an area from which someone leapt out from. "Wait, Nidhogg." He commanded. The dragon lowered his mouth unwillingly, as the person made herself known. "Lucifuge-san." Akira greeted, displeased that they had been spied upon. If he hadn't stopped Nidhogg, there was no doubt that the Lucifuge would have died. "Did your King send you to spy on us?"

"I was not aware that you had contact with an Evil Dragon, Kurusu-san." She retorted back.

 **"So that's what they are calling me now?"** Nidhogg roared in laughter. **"Just because I attacked several human settlements for a day and they have the nerve to call me evil? When they themselves have committed unspeakable crimes? This world, it truly is ridiculous!"** Nidhogg roared once more. Akira shot a questioning look to Nidhogg.

Grayfia however remained stoic. Inside, she was frightened. She knew that if Nidhogg wished, she would be nothing more a grease spot on the ground. Not to mention, the shady person in front of her had defeated Serafall, which she had to grudgingly admit was stronger than her.

 **"Ask Sirzechs Gremory. Ask him what he did to the Nekoshou in the Underworld."**

"Why do you not acknowledge Sirzechs as the Lucifer?" Akira frowned as Grayfia asked the question.

 **"Why? Why, you ask? Your race amuses me. To think that they have fallen from grace that far. Sirzechs, despite his power, is never going to be as strong as the original Lucifer. I would rather face Great Red than recognise that Gremory as a Lucifer. It is as good as comparing Albion to an adult dragon."** Nidhogg spat out. Akira knew what Nidhogg was speaking of while Grayfia seemed out of the loop.

"I am confused." Grayfia admitted.

 **"As expected of the devils. They are ignorant of their roots, the technique that not even Fafnir, who had the strongest defence out of us all, could not withstand without receiving damage that took him weeks to heal."**

"What technique?" That peaked Grayfia's curiosity. A technique that could even pierce the scales of the Golden Monarch? Such a thing was almost unheard of.

 **"Maybe next time. But for now, it seems that we are out of time. Farewell for now, Grayfia Lucifuge."** As Nidhogg vanished and retreated back into the Sea of Souls, Akira started walking back into the mansion with Issei on his shoulder.

"I suggest that you do not speak of this encounter." With those final words, he was gone, leaving Grayfia Lucifuge to ponder about what she had just found out from a supposed Evil Dragon.

 _Present, Mansion in the Mountains_

"I suppose that it is fine." Rias finally relented after much persuasion from Akira, though she still didn't trust him from how many wounds had her beloved pawn endured.

Akira on the other hand sat down in relief. He had barely managed to avoid facing certain death after much convincing. "Then what about Akeno?" Rias gestured to her Queen, who was sitting down in silence and eating and letting out a yawn as she did.

"She had to face her own problems." Akira chose his words carefully, for the wrong ones could lead to his untimely death. Again. Rias had emphasised the care and concern she held for her own peerage and Akira knew that it would extend to wounding people if necessary.

Earlier, Clearing in the Forest

Akeno's POV

 **"You wish to not reveal your heritage. Why?"** Akeno glared at the being with such venom that it could have killed him if her glare was venomous. **"Running away from your problems?"** The being spoke mockingly again as she tried to hold back her anger.

"What do you know? That man, he left my mother and I for dead! It is because of him that I'm an outcast!" Akeno yelled back, tears in her eyes as she tried to contain them. She had lost her calm composure the moment he had spoken about her problem.

 **"That is why you refuse to acknowledge your true self? It's pathetic, you know?"** He spoke, twirling his sword. **"Shying away from your true self, it is a thing that should never be done. One day, that side of yours will come back to haunt you. It is better to face it now than later."**

"What do you know?! You killed a Dragon, became one and received the glory for it!"

 **"Ah, but that's where you're wrong. After drinking the Dragon's Blood, I found myself scared of it, regretting that I slayed it in the first place. I tried to lock it deep within me, but it didn't work. It never works. Sooner or later, that hidden side of yours will came and stab you in the back, all because of your refusal to accept it."**

"You speak as if you have experienced it yourself." Akeno noted, wiping her tears.

 **"When I first understood the birds, I was scared of what else the blood of a dragon would do to me. Me, a human gaining the power of a dragon. It did not help that rumours were adrift about what I would become as well. It wasn't until I finally chose to not block out the birds that I heard that Reign was planning to kill me."**

"Then how did you do it? How did you overcome it?"

 **"Little one, it is all a matter of perspective. See the light that lies beyond the darkness. Tell Akira to summon me once again when you have figured it out. Farewell for now, Akeno Himejima."**

"Farewell, Siegfried." Akeno finally got rid of her tears and began to think. The ugly side that she didn't want to show huh? She spread her wings, touching the fallen angel one with tenderness that contradicted her anger earlier.

"I see that Siegfried's words are starting to have an impact on you." She froze at Akira's voice. She hadn't expected him to come here, would she be shunned by him after seeing her ugly wings? She was terrified to find out. Her raw, vulnerable side was shown to someone that she had hoped that wouldn't find out. His next words were oddly comforting to her, and made her feel more whole in some sense. "Half breed or not, I do not care. I know what it feels like to be an outcast after all."

"W-What do you mean?" Her voice cracked as she left her wings out in the open while Akira approached him.

"Would you believe me if I told you that I had a criminal record?" He had a small smile on his face as he reminisced about that one year he had in Shujin.

"How is that possible?" Akeno just simply couldn't picture the person standing right in front of her having a criminal record. He was kind, smart amongst many other things. Being a criminal shouldn't be on the list.

"I got framed by a politician who wanted to protect himself and got used as a scapegoat. For the whole year before I was finally cleared of my charges, everyone looked at me as if I was some filth that shouldn't be allowed to step foot in their society. Add in the fact that one of the teachers spread my record around and my reputation became dirt even before I stepped into the school." Akira laughed bitterly as he remembered when he was first introduced to the class, how people were talking about not looking his eyes otherwise they would be murdered amongst other things.

"That's terrible!" Akeno knew the feeling of being an outcast, for she was one herself. An outcast from the Himejima clan because she was of mixed birth. Her mother, a ex clan priestess and her father, a Cadre in the Grigori.

"I met some friends who accepted me, despite my record. I hope that you do not hide that other side of yours. It will only lead to misery sooner or later. You should have your friends accept for who you are, not that fake exterior of yours." She hitched her breath as Akira touched her soft, feathery wing with such gentleness that she almost couldn't feel it. Were it not for the fact that her wings were a sensitive spot, she would have never felt it at all.

" I see." She responded softly.

As Akira stopped touching the wing, he began to speak once more. "I hope that you think this through. I'll see you after lunch for the next part of your training." As Akira walked away, Akeno couldn't help but hold a hand on her chest, as if her heart had been stolen by him. She let out a content sigh before she realised that her wings were still out. Hastily folding them, she began to think about Siegfried's words. Think from a different perspective? Maybe she could do it.

 _Present, Mansion in the Mountains_

Akira's POV

"Old wounds are the hardest to close, yet they have to be at some point." Akira just finished explaining his first segment of the training session for Akeno, of course leaving out the fact that he had summoned Siegfried. The afternoon was spent training Akeno in utilising her speed in the Queen piece.

"I see." Akira certainly did not miss the gratefulness in Rias' words, as if she herself had been pushing Akeno to accept her other self. "So, basically you're training Akeno to be a first generation Queen." She noted with Akira's continued talk of the second part of her training.

"Precisely." Akira nodded while everyone else looked confused at the term.

"What's a first generation Queen, Buchou?" Kiba asked.

"It is a term used for Queens who focus on all three aspects of their piece. Second Generation Queens refer to those who only choose to focus one or two aspects. The reasoning behind their names is because the ones who focus on all three are all old timers. Grayfia is the prime example of that. The newer generation prefers to focus on only one aspect, mainly because they are too lazy." Rias explained.

"Thanks, Buchou."

"Akira-kun, who are you to be able to train Issei like that?" The latest member of Rias' peerage, Asia asked.

He sighed. "To be honest, my power is something I gained through hardship. Before all of that happened, I was just your typical highschooler."

"What changed?"

"I got framed and had a criminal record as a result." He admitted. Sharing his past with others besides the Phantom Thieves, it was somewhat scary for him since people would typically be quick to judge him. "Compared to you guys, I feel like I'm lucky."

"H-how did?" Asia couldn't even form the words out.

"My troubled past seemed to garner quite the reaction."

"You are too sharp for your own good." Rias said, pinching her nose. The others nodded in agreement as well, even Koneko, who had paused from eating her food to do so.

"It is the sharpness that allowed me to survive till this very day." Indeed, without him remembering how Akechi had overheard the conversation about pancakes even though Morgana was the only one talking about it, they would have never been able to come up with a plan to outwit the ace detective himself. Thinking of Akechi Goro made him frown a bit. The boy just simply wanted the occasional praise and attention, just like any typical person in their life. He had not fully understood how harsh life was for him, buy enough to have empathy for him. Metatron was the being that represented the bond between the both of them, the bond of Justice.

Come to think of it, had Akechi really died in Shido's ship? He had seen the boy's cunningness and agility, not to mention that Loki was extremely powerful besides him having Robin Hood, perhaps he could have survived? No, thinking about it wouldn't do good now. They had found no trace of Akechi, not even after the palace of Shido was gone, there was a high chance that Akechi was dead. Akechi was right, if they had met earlier, they would definitely have been great rivals. It was too bad that fate played them like a fiddle. He wished that Goro Akechi was here. The ace detective probably had a crappy childhood, just like the others sitting on the same dining table as him besides Rias. They would probably be able to relate to them the best.Akira was just a guy who had an average childhood, which was much better compared to their pasts.

"What are you thinking, Akira?"

"It's nothing, Kiba. Let's finish eating." Nodding his head, the knight ate with elegance and speed that Akira thought was only present in Yusuke.

 _Sunday Morning, Mountain_

Issei's POV

Unlike what he had thought yesterday, he found himself free of any fatigue. He was sure that Nidhogg's beating had taken its toll on him. His leg was back, for the third and hopefully final time. [I have to admit, you are growing at a fast rate.] The dragon in his gauntlet, Ddraig spoke in grudging acceptance. When he first faced Nidhogg, he was scared. The dragon had beaten him up like crap, though he felt like he could now take a blow from the dammed pawn that attacked him without flinching.

The rude awakening by his senpai was something he appreciated him for, as it allowed him to fully open his eyes. In no time, he would be the strongest pawn there is in the Underworld! **"Still thinking?"**

Issei nearly jumped, before realising that it was merely Nidhogg. Wait, Nidhogg? He began to scream, before the dragon whipped him on the forehead with his tail. **"Stop screaming! You have much to learn today!"** Thankfully, the blow was not too harsh so he could still stand on his feet without being knocked down, though the pain was still there. [You gotta stop acting like a wimp, you know?]

 **"Ah, the power of the World Arcana. Now, let's get started, shall we?"** The cruel grin on Nidhogg let Issei know that he wasn't going to survive the day. **"I may have cast off my fiery roots, but that doesn't mean I can't teach you a dragon's primal way of fighting."** Nidhogg began to shrink, losing his tails and wings until he became the size of a typical human, only adding in a couple of inches of Issei's height. He began shifting into a stance which even a pervert like him could tell that it was for martial arts. He groaned, he was going to get beaten up again, was he? Was this his karma for being a pervert?

[Yes.] The solid reply from Ddraig made him knew that he was fucked once more, as Nidhogg swung his arm.

 _Evening, Mountain_

Issei laid on the ground, bruised and battered once more along with several broken bones. At least this time, he didn't have to lose his limbs, which were far more painful than broken bones. "Once I heal you up, let's see how much you've learned." Issei groaned in pain as he felt his bones being forcefully put back in place and the fatigue leaving him, though the pain of healing such wounds did hurt him. "Now, repeat the movements." He knew that it wasn't a request, but rather a demand. Truth be told, he should be thankful for the dragon willing to teach him even if the methods were brutal, but Issei felt that Nidhogg was doing this for merely a good fight.

As he performed the first and second stages of the martial art, he found his hands and legs in a beautiful dance, yet looked bastardised when compared to Nidhogg's. If Issei's movements could be considered a dance, then he could safely say that Nidhogg's movement held such grace that it put his to shame. There were simply no flaws. The best thing was, he realised that these movements were meant to be for both hard hitters and those with agility. For hard hitters, they could simply break through the defence with ease. For agile ones, they could probably react before their opponent. He was beginning to see why Nidhogg had taught him this. If he Boosted, he could fall in either category, to be honest. [So your tiny brain finally gets it.]

[Would you believe it if this was a martial art made by us dragons and we had a whole tournament over it?] Ddraig chuckled as Issei nearly stopped mid motion. If not for Nidhogg's glare, he would have definitely stopped. [It was called the Asoka tournament, named after the dragon who organised it. Dragons of different tribes would flock together to show their prowess through strength and agility, nothing more while others would watch to see who's tribe would triumph.]

That was certainly new. [This martial art is what we call, In Motion. It requires you to move so fluidly that you become a blur, or use brute strength to hit the opponent's weakness before performing several unrelenting attacks. Thus, you are always in motion.] As he finished the final move, which was slamming his foot into the ground, creating a crater on the ground, Nidhogg growled. Whether it was in delight or unhappiness, he didn't know.

 **"Tomorrow, you will be here alone practicing this. I will spar with you at night, is that clear?"** In fear of having another bone broken, Issei quickly nodded his head. As Nidhogg vanished, probably back to his senpai's mind, he began to have another talk with Ddraig.

[It is wonderful how you are being trained the same way as I gained my title.]

"Huh?"

[Have you ever thought why Nidhogg's methods are so harsh, like beating you into the ground?]

"No, I haven't. I thought it was because he wanted revenge on you." Issei admitted sheepishly, scratching his head.

[He's training you harshly because he wants to fight you as soon as possible. I've seen the glint in his eyes, like he wants to battle you and go all out.] Issei let out the one response that any idiot would have.

"Oh."

 _Morning, Clearing in the Forest_

Akeno's POV

"What are we doing today?" She had regained her Onee-sama personality back after giving her past much thought. Akira meanwhile, just stayed silent before whispering something.

"Do you want to focus on your magic skills or speed, attack and defence?"

"I'll take the speed and defence." Akeno had thought about Akira's training session and decided that there was no point in trying to up her magic skills for now. It was probably on par with the opposing team's Queen, but her speed and defence was another matter. If she had decreased casting time and quicker reflexes, she could probably take down the Bomb Queen in one on one battle. As for improving the attack, maybe her whip could finally see some action. It had been collecting dust ever since she bought it, because she had no one to whip.

"Then I suggest you start bracing yourself. It's gonna hurt." Akira grinned sadistically as he brought out a whip. As a connoisseur of whips, she noted that it was a very well made one. The leather was white in colour and folded up, with frayed ends, making it look like it had been used for a while. (Snow Queen's Whip) As she took a closer look, it was on purpose, as it had tiny sharp tips. Not only that, the leather was still in perfect condition, as if it had never been used before even though Akira seemed to have experience using it, given how he expertly swung it in a practice test.

"I didn't think that you would be so kinky, Akira-kun." Akeno responded as she braced herself. This was a new fun side of Akira that she couldn't wait to find out, with her inner sadomasochist nature.

 _Before Lunch_

"I did warn you." Akira watched as Akeno laid on the floor, twitching in her eutrophic state with all the pleasure and pain and had been inflicted upon her.

"Uhh... so good." She could barely form words with all the drool on her face, unlike her normal Yamato Nandeshiko state. In that state, she could barely hear Akira whisper something before she felt her cuts seal themselves and her stamina back. She had tried to dodge the attacks after the first few hits, but Akira seemed to be too fast for her to dodge most of them. What she didn't know however was that the whip had the passive effect of Auto-Sukukaja, which allowed Akira to continuously be fast, as long as he was out of combat or not attacking for a few minutes before he resumed his assault.

"You ok?" Akira asked as she shakily stood up, sad that her pain/pleasure induced state had finally ended. Neither fingers, nor her toys had never been able to make her climax like that.

"We should do this again." Were the first coherent words that left her mouth. Akira shook his head in reply.

"I didn't think that you would be a masochist, so we ain't doing that again. The whip was meant to give you motivation to dodge." Akira explained.

She sighed in resignation, but she would definitely get Akira to do this with her again. She wanted, no needed another session of this with her Akira! Her Akira? A crimson blush spread over her face as she realised what she had just thought. Thankfully, he was facing forward making him unable to see the blush but even so, it felt like Akira was watching her every move and had a cocky smirk on his face. Damm it! She wasn't a fan girl like those in her school!

Still, she couldn't deny the attraction that she felt for him. Maybe she could wait and see how it played out.

 _After Lunch_

"Here, take this." Akira tossed her the whip that he had used earlier. "You're going to try and hit me." She figured out that it was training for her to increase the speed of her reflexes. Now, she would show Akira-kun his place. As she grabbed it, she felt lighter, as if she could swing this whip with faster speed without even trying.

"I'm going to enjoy this so much." Now, it was her turn to grin sadistically. She was going to whip her Akira-kun in place. Ignoring her thoughts this time, she began swinging it at Akira, who dodged at with an raised eyebrow directed at her. However she didn't know that this time, Akira had equipped Mada, which had Auto-Matarukaja, Auto-Masukukaja and Auto-Marakukaja. That meant that he could tank as many hits as he liked or evade the attacks. When it ran out, he could cast Heat Riser if needed, though he doubted that Akeno's stamina could last that long.

"What's wrong? Can't land a hit?" He taunted. Akeno at this point was furious. She should have hit Akira and made him scream! It was not fair that she was the only one that got hit and he didn't get hit in return. She NEEDED to hear him scream! She NEEDED to hear his scream as she whipped him! She NEEDED to make him feel pain! Not him dodging every single attack that she threw his way!

What Akira didn't expect was for Akeno to start moving faster. "Shit!" He grunted as he got hit for the first time. Switching to Lucifer, who had Drain Phys, he began to dodge some and tank the other hits, though he did let out a fake cry of pain occasionally to stop her for a bit.

Akeno was enjoying herself, as she finally began hitting Akira. Sure, it was not as many times as Akira had hit her, but it was still something. As she panted in exhaustion, she finally stopped, her reserves drained of the way. How long had she been at it? If she had to guess, at least 2 hours given that the sun was beginning to set. Come to think of it, did she use her need to hit Akira to boost her speed with magic? That was something that she was going to have to do research on, as it could come in handy.

"You done?" He said, panting a bit and holding out his hand. Pouting, she handed back the whip reluctantly. It had been a good whip after all. In fact, it still looked new, as if it had not been used before despite leaving several dents in the Earth. Just what kind of weapons did he have in his arsenal? "Come on, it is almost time for dinner."

 _Dinnertime, Mansion in the mountains_

Akira's POV

"How did the training go today?" Rias had a pleasant smile on her face, seeing that Issei had not been hurt badly this time.

"I got more broken bones." Issei grunted as he consumed more food, staring at her chest instead of her eyes. It seemed that Nidhogg had not beaten the perversity out of Issei.

"Pervert." Koneko said, loud enough for the whole table to hear. Issei got knocked back on his chair, as if he had received an actual hit from Koneko herself while crying anime tears.

"It was a delightful surprise." Akeno admitted with a large blush and giggle, while Akira's face was filled with regret. Truly, he hadn't expected Akeno to be a sadomasochist. But what was done, was done. Then again, Alice had told him that she was a sadist. He should really pay more attention to his Personae instead of dismissing their ramblings.

"I.. see" Clearly, Rias had no other words. She had no idea that they were being trained by a Dragon, himself and potentially a few others. "By the way, how do you make such good coffee?"

"Secret." Akira replied plainly. He was not going to give up his secret recipe yet.

"Akira-senpai, I forgot to ask. How are you so powerful?" The next question came from Issei. Was this starting to turn into a ask Akira something game?

"Had a criminal record, gained powers along the way for reasons." He summarised his story as simple as possible without giving too many details.

"How did you get a criminal record? You don't seem like a bad person."

"I'm bad to the bone." He chuckled, remembering that he used this response once to cheer up Ann when she was feeling down.

"No, he got framed by a politician called Masayoshi Shido. Ever heard of him?" Kiba explained, ruining the fun that lasted ffor a couple of moments.

"Oh, you mean that guy who was elected for President, only to confess his sins on the night of the election? My mum told me something about that but I didn't really care." Issei commented offhandedly.

"It's because you were one of the humans in the depths of Mementos, imprisoned with the freedom of not to think nor choose." Akira muttered, knowing that no one could hear.

"But how did you get your record cleaned? If I recall, your student info does not show any of such a thing." Rias questioned.

"A couple of friends managed to find the eyewitness who saw Shido accuse me of assault." He responded. He remembered how when he came back afterwards, each of the females he knew had taken a day alone to speak with him about his foolishness of surrendering himself to the police just so that Shido could be convicted.

Each had slapped him, before giving him a hug for his foolishness. It was a price that he had been willing to pay, to uphold justice. Especially for Akechi. Akechi had not died, he made sure of it. It also wasn't like Sae had given him many options. After all, the police were looking to pin the blame on someone and the leader of the Phantom Thieves had been the perfect person. And Shido's supporters were pulling out all the stops to stop Shido from being tried so that they could stay safe. It was the correct decision, to him at the very least.

"Akira-kun?" He found Akeno's hand waving in front of him, breaking his train of thought.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking." Come to think of it, he had been thinking too much. Ughh, he needed to stop thinking so much. Maybe he should do something productive with his life.

"So, Akira-kun, what are your plans after training Akeno and Issei?" He simply shrugged his shoulders. He didn't exactly have an agenda after all and he was meant to now be a good student and study so that his parents could have something to show off about him at the very least. Imagine if they found out that he was the Leader of the Phantom Thieves. He shuddered, his mother could be scary at times.

"Will you join my peerage?" That talk again? He frowned.

"No, I am not going to." He decided long ago that he still like his humanity. It served as a Memento Mori to him. He clicked his tongue as he realised that the thought about the accursed words that Igor had given him. Shaking his head, he decided that he was going to need a long hot shower after this.

"Hey, there is a hot spring bath here. Wanna use it?" Shrugging his shoulders, he decided that it was a good idea to accept Rias' offer. He could use it right now anyways. In the background, he could hear Issei shouting a loud yes.

 **A/N: I haven't decided the pairing for this yet, but I'm thinking Akeno or Makoto. If you guys got any good ones, just suggest in the comments. Of course, you can expect Yu at the very least. That's one of the few spoilers I'm gonna give. Btw I didn't have a really good way to finish this so pardon me.** **(Amateur Writer here)**

 **I am still having exams and am probably gonna take a part time job after this, so expect once a week updates, maybe twice if I know what I'm doing. I made this chapter longer because I had no idea that I was typing it that long until I looked at the word count. Listened to Monody ft Laura Brehm and Oblivion ft Lola Blanc by TheFatRat to finish this. (Pretty interesting songs if you ask me)**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Rating Game

 _Time frames and locations_

 **Persona Skills and Speech**

[Dragon Speech]

POVs

 _Monday Night, Kuoh Academy_

Issei's POV

Issei glanced around the room, shuffling his feet. He was nervous for this battle because it was his President's virginity on stake. And he didn't want her to lose it to some guy she hated. Even though he was a pervert, he still had morals. Even if they were nearly non-existent when it came to peeping. [Relax, you have this.]

"Easy for you to say!" Then again, Ddraig was right. He had indeed come a long way, with the help of Nidhogg. He had a fighting style that suited him, be it long or short range. It was no longer the time to fret. He glanced up at the clock. 11.35.

Akeno on the other hand was calmly sitting on the couch beside Rias, sipping some tea with elegance. [Kid, you gotta relax man! Why do you think your comrades are so calm?]

Indeed, Kiba had his eyes closed while Koneko was just eating her sweets with a poker face. He should listen to the dragon for once and relax. He began to lean back into the couch, albeit forced. Damm it, don't think of bad things. Think positively! He thought. "Ise-kun, are you alright?" Asia, the latest addition to their peerage asked. She held a small blush on her face which Issei mistook it for something else, with his brain.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He gave her a sincere smile before leaning back. It was nearly time. 11.40. Tonight was the first step to him becoming the Strongest Pawn. He would make sure that he put up a performance to be admired. With the skills he had gained within the last ten days, be was confident that he could at least take on the Yakitori 1v1. [That's it, partner.]

Well, no use worrying about it now. As the clock struck 11.45, he felt himself being shifted somewhere. Wherever it was, he was going to win the Rating Game! No matter what!

Akeno's POV

Akeno watched in amusement as the others were all relaxed. The last ten days had sure been harsh. Who knew that Akira-kun could be such a good teacher? She had to admit, her skill had drastically increased in the past ten days. She could see herself, enjoying the Rating Game as she tortured and brutalised her enemies. Oh, it was going to be a bloodbath. She looked at the clock as she put down her tea. 11.45.

As she felt herself being transported, she found herself still in the clubroom back in Kuoh Academy. It was as if Riser had given them home field advantage. Oh, he was going to pay dearly for it later. Akeno would make sure of it. "I am Grayfia Lucifuge, Queen to Sirzechs Lucifer and Arbiter of this Rating Game. Both teams are in place. You are given 15 minutes to plan and prepare. Once time is up, the Rating Game shall began at 12am sharp. Lady Rias Gremory base is the Occult Research Clubroom while Lord Riser Phenex's base is at the Student Council Room. Planning time starts now." With one final declaration, Grayfia Lucifuge stopped speaking and gave the speakers time to think.

"So what should we do, Buchou?" Akeno pulled out the two items that Akira had given them after Kiba spoke. They were essentially their trump cards.

"These are Somas. At least, that's what Akira-kun called it. He says that it is more powerful than a Phoenix Tear because it can not only heals wounds but also restore magic reserves." She said, gesturing to the two orb like objects on her palm. "Since we are allowed to bring two items, they should be pretty useful."

"Good thinking Akeno. Now that you mention it, the opposing team may have Phoenix tears in their possessions. I wonder who has it?" Rias wondered out loud.

"I would say the Queen." Kiba's suggestion seemed pretty valid. After all, she was Riser's strongest piece. "Then who has the other? We all know that Riser would be too arrogant to have a Phoenix Tear on him, so who?"

"I think it's gonna be the Yakitori's sister." Issei spoke out of the blue, slamming his fist into an open palm. "They are siblings so it would make sense."

"Good thinking, Issei. Now we need to figure out a game plan." As Akeno fingered her weapon of choice, the other members of the clubroom shuddered in fear, knowing that Akeno with a whip was a terrifying combination.

 _Spectator Room_

Akira's POV

"Yakitori? That's a new one." Remarked Sona with one of her rare smiles graacing her features. "A whip on Akeno?" The next thing she noticed took her by surprise. Akira could understand, since she probably only saw Akeno cast spells for her offensive and nothing else.

"The whip was apparently her choice of a weapon." Akira knew that she would bring a whip, given her sadistic nature. It was merely a matter of time before she had asked to borrow the Snow Queen's Whip. Thankfully, he still kept his arsenal of weapons with him, including all his teammates who had chosen to swap them out in favour for the ones itemised through the Electric Chair Execution. "Pretty decent range, if you ask me since the opposing Queen is probably going for mid to long range combat against her."

"But I thought Akeno only casted spells?" Sona's Queen, Tsubaki asked.

"I spent the last ten days drawing out the full potential in her piece. The whip's something she's comfortable with, given the fact that she's a sadist." Saji made a choking sound at the mention of Akeno being a sadist, not being able to take the fact that one of the school idols was actually a sadist.

"Did you train her in anything else?" Sona asked, eager to know how much had her rival's Queen improved.

"You'll find out. As for Issei, let's just say that he's improved. Still a pervert though." His remark made several laugh, as they watched the start of the Rating Game. This was going to be good. He wanted to see how Akeno used her newfound power in a combat situation. If she did well, then Akira could safely say that he was good teacher, even if his and his Personae's methods were brutal in one way or another. Issei on the other hand was going to be raw power in this Rating Game. After all, a dragon can only teach another. And he was sure that Nidhoggr had done his job properly.

"He's much faster than before." Sona noted, seeing how Issei managed to get to the gym in a matter of a minute while Koneko was trailing behind. Akeno was hovering above them, scouting for the enemy Queen. Kiba was alone in the forest near the Occult Research Club, lying in wait for the three pawns who were trying to sneak their way through the chaos and get promoted. "Now, how will this play out?" Sona mused out loud. By the looks of it, her peerage was going to have a lot of catching up to do given how Akira seemed to have full faith in his teaching.

"Issei should be able to deal with the people in the gym." Akira noted the defence of the gym, only three Pawns and a Rook. The Pawns didn't seem to be anything special and the Rook could simply be overwhelmed by raw strength from Issei, given how he had Boosted 7 times while making his way to the gym.

"Bold." The Rook had called Koneko and Issei out, trying to force them out into a head to head confrontation. It would work in Issei's and Koneko's favour anyway even though they were outnumbered. Against any other opponent, the method might have worked but Issei and Koneko knew what they were doing.

"Three Pawns from Riser Phenex's peerage, retired." Akira turned to look at Saji, who gazed at Issei in wonder and anger. It seemed like the two of them had some rivalry going on, or just the fact that he was welling up in his knowledge of Issei being better than him. The swift strikes from Issei which had been dealt to the three pawns were clean and efficient, the only trouble being that the girls had tried to evade and hit him.

"Where did Issei learn that?" Sona had curiousity bubbling up within her, seeing how Issei dealt with them so easily.

"That art is a Dragon type martial art. A powerful martial art that requires you to move constantly to inflict the greatest pain possible with swift strikes or simply using brute strength to break through their defences."

"And Issei has both..." Sona trailed off, realising just how strong Issei was now.

"Precisely. And since he has a dragon type Sacred Gear, he can be considered part dragon. It suits him, don't you think?"

Issei's POV

The Pawns were weaker than he expected. But that was probably because Nidhogg had beat into him the true meaning of pain. He dodged their strikes with ease, before finishing them off. He could do this, with ease. Now was not the time for any internal monologue. He began walking out of the gym, Koneko beside him as she had defeated the Rook. "What did you do in those ten days? You seem... different." Koenko asked him, speaking more than a few words for the first time since he met her.

"I got beaten up real bad." He admitted sheepishly. Nidhogg had indeed fought him on the last day, with no holes barred except for killing. But through the training, he felt that he had become something much more, his dragon self igniting his soul.

"You smell more like a dragon than a devil." She remarked. Oh wait, Buchou had told him that Koneko had very acute senses. That would explain her statement. [It's because you are using power that is more draconic related than anything.] Ddraig piped up. That cleared it up. [Bomb! To your left!]

Heeding Ddraig's warning, he pushed Koneko to the right. He braced himself, ready to endure the pain. "One Queen from Riser Phenex's peerage, retired." What? What had exactly happened? He looked up, only to see a three pronged mirror in front of him fading. Had it reflected the attack headed for him? [You should thank that Akeno chick. It's been a long time since I last saw reflective magic being cast.]

"Thanks, Akeno-chan!" He yelled before dashing to the courtyard with Koneko in tow to meet up with the blonde prince.

"Three Pawns from Riser Phenex's peerage, retired." It seemed that the blonde bastard had done his job well after all. He smiled, maybe this wasn't going to be so bad. He could do this. He could win the Rating Game.

Akira's POV

He watched as Sona nearly gaped at what she just saw. A barrier that not only blocked magic attacks but also reflected it back? What was that? She only knew of one other thing that could do that, her Queen Tsubaki's Sacred Gear Mirror Alice. And even that had a limit to how much power it could block before reflecting, although the reflected attack would be twice as strong. Such a thing was unheard of. "Impossible..." He heard her Queen mutter.

"Exactly what did you train her in?" Akira merely smirked in response to Tusbasa's brash outburst.

"Nothing much. Her barrier still has a limit though. That's the only flaw. I doubted that the Queen could withstand her own attacks anyway. She doesn't seem to be the kind to focus on her defence." He actually took a gamble when teaching Akeno the move. For her, Makarakarn had a limit for as the magic used by Personae was much different from devils. Personae were of the soul while devils used imagination to fuel it. Hence, he didn't actually expect it to not only fully hold but also reflect back. Oh well, what was life without a gamble? Sae would probably be laughing again at his thoughts and be mortified at the same time, given how her Palace had been a casino.

"Two Pawns from Riser Phenex's peerage retired." He nodded passively at the screen. Seemed like Issei was really on a roll today. If he kept this up, he could no doubt defeat Riser. The two Pawns she had faced seem to make Issei work more as he was forced to dodge before counterattacking. Even then, the two of them had the evasion that was not foreseen until Issei countered it with another Boost.

"Koneko seems to be struggling. Don't you think?" Reya noted. In a brawl of strength, Koneko indeed seemed to be losing against her older and more experienced counterpart. This was what made the opposing Rook, Isabela hold an advantage of the petite girl. Koneko probably had experience fighting a Stray Devil and even that was probably with the rest of the peerage. She also had lesser stamina than the other Rook and was thus panting heavily while the other seemed fine, with only small hints of fatigue.

"Yeah. She will not win an extended battle. It also seems that the Knight Kiba is facing is trying to burn everyone, even her comrades." Akira observed. The Knight had her hand stuck out, calling upon fire which was swirling around her hand, itching to be released. To counter that, Kiba began forming another sword. It was rare for Akira to see Sword Birth in action and he took this chance to relish the moment. Kiba held a hilt of a sword as flames began to get sucked, forming a blade which had ice which seemed as cold as the frigid lands of the Artic. The ice shattered, forming a sliver blade with the slightest hint of blue.

"We are masters of the wind as well as fire!" Akira heard her bold declaration through the speaker, Kalarmine, was it? Wind began to form this time, ready to be thrown at her enemy. This time, Kiba held up another hilt. The blade completed itself, though there was one new detail, which caused the winds to get absorbed into it with futile resistance. Instead of a sharp point, it was with a diamond shaped frame which had a black orb in the middle with one final sharp point to top it off. This was certainly intriguing. Maybe he could ask for some Black Kotagamas? The thing itself was rare to get, honestly speaking. No. He didn't even hold access to the Velvet Room anymore apart from his few visits, so what was the point?

"You seem to be in deep thought, Akira-san." The pointed look that Sona gave him was more than enough to snap him out of his thoughts.

"Just thinking about other things." Times like this, Akira wished that he didn't overthink things so much. However, his brain had made it more than just a normal thing, turning it into a habit. He wasn't going to complain about it however. The habit was helpful in many ways, allowing him to see things from many different perspectives. He had been able to see why Hifumi didn't want to listen to her mother. Popularity was something she would rather not deal with, and Akira wholeheartedly agreed. Now that he thought about it, had he went to the same school as her, he might have nurtured feelings for her. There was a spark, just that there wasn't something for it to ignite fully. Or was there? He didn't know what to think.

"One Knight and one Rook from Riser Phenex's peerage retired." Akira looked up at the multiple screens to notice that Kiba and Koneko had emerged victorious in their respective duels. What took the cake however was that in the next screen, Akeno was fighting the second Bishop of Riser, Ravel Phenex with nothing more than a whip. The whip was dealing damage to Ravel, all which she recovered before throwing fireballs at Akeno. With the training Akira put into her speed, it was all for naught as she weaved between the fire, taunting her opponent with her failed hits.

"Is that the best you can do?" Her whip only made the drilled hair girl more mad, as she was not a slave and whips were meant for slaves.

"I am a High Class Devil!" Akira had a feeling that she yelled it more for comfort for herself rather than trying to declare what was already written all over her face. He sighed, Supernatural or not, the elite seemed to think that they reigned supreme. If the Metaverse was still available, he and his team would have a field day sending calling cards and stealing treasures given how many high class snobs like Ravel existed. Not to mention the fact that devils literally were the embodiment of sin.

"Such arrogance will be their downfall." They were and had underestimated their enemy, refused to acknowledge their power and thus, they would be defeated. Many of the peerage members had already paid for it, given how Issei, Koneko and Kiba had eliminated a good chunk of the peerage, leaving only the King himself along with Ravel the Bishop. And Ravel, a high class Devil was being matched blow for blow by someone using a whip plus the occasional lightning.

"One Rook from Rias Gremory's peerage, retired." It seems that Koneko had suffered badly from her battle earlier and hence Riser had decided to take her down. Akira noticed how Kiba seemed to be more weary than usual, it seemed like he did not have endurance to fight through long battles. That would be who Riser went for next.

"Pathetic wrenches. Can't even put up a fight against me." Riser declared as he took out Kiba, the Knight's speed failing him for once. Rias had tried to fire off blasts of her Power of Destruction, but they either missed or the damage done was quickly remedied. Akira knew that Riser would come to eat his words soon, for Issei had Boosted up quite a lot and still had yet to show his full hand.

"How dare you call my comrades like that? You will pay, Riser!" As if responding to his desire to pound Riser into the ground, he Gear gave out a different command. [Explosion!] "For Buchou!" He yelled, charging in. Akira sighed, the one foolish mistake that Issei made could potentially cost him the entire game, if he wasn't careful. He should have tried to stay back and analyse the enemy, not rashly charge in. Yet, the charge in tactic seemed to be working well as Issei pushed Riser back, ever so slightly.

"Enough!" He declared, exploding in a ring of fire around him which reminded Akira of Heat Wave. To Riser, it would seem strange as Issei continued his assault, even with his skin slightly scorched.

"This pain compares to nothing!" Issei roared, slamming another punch into Riser. Meanwhile, Rias continued providing backup support, with Asia tending to her wounds.

"You lowlife! This is a matter of High Class Devils! You have no right to be interfering!"

"This is a Rating Game, Yakitori! Or have you forgotten?" His response shocked Riser for a second, in which Issei was able to knock him down and continue punching his face.

"That's it! I've had enough of you!" Riser managed to force Issei back for a second, letting him get back on his feet. "Behold, remember this technique as you die!" White hot flames began to gather around Riser's hand, raring to be unleashed as he looked at Issei with pure hatred smothering in the depths of his eyes.

"I will survive!" Issei roared out. Flames of black and orange began converging around his mouth, ready to be released against their master's enemy. "This is the end, Riser!"

"Die! Cataclysm!" Riser declared, swinging his arms and shooting a torrent of flame at his opponent. He grinned savagely, this would be what earned him his victory. Issei meanwhile released the flames gathered around his mouth, the sound coming out of his mouth nothing like a human but more primal, sounding closer to a dragon.

"What in the world?" The people currently seated in room had no other words to express their surprise, no words to describe the deadly yet beautiful display and clash of flames that was right in front of them, all except for Akira.

"The raw element of a dragon given form, versus the flames of a Phenex. Who would win?" He mused. This was going to turn out to be interesting. But then again, he knew the answer already.

As the flames on the battlefield fought for dominance, each combatant present could feel the heat wash over them like waves. Thankfully, the arena was nothing more than a duplicate of the whole school, but it was clear that both attacks were powerful in their own right, each trying to fight for dominance. Black and orange flames tried to wash over white hot ones, each attempting to assert dominance. Neither was willing to back down, given their masters' determination to fight on and win. Such was the power of fire, it represented the passion each fighter had, the power that each of them held.

"Not yet!" Issei groaned, aiming his Boosted Gear at his flames. With a forced grin, he yelled out. "This is it, yakitori! You're going down!" [Transfer!]

"He's won." Akira declared with finality, as with the added power, the black and orange flames began to swallow the white ones. Within seconds, it was all gone, as if the white flames had never been there in the first place. Now, the flames rushed towards Riser who had a mask of fear on his face, with nothing in the way to stop the advance.

"Don't you kno-" He got cut off trying to say his high class and all that shit as the flames slammed into him. As the attack slammed into him with the force of a bulldozer, falling to the ground as a result. That was all they saw before the feed showed them nothing more than white as the resulting explosion from the attack consumed all. However, one thing was clear.

"Riser Phenex has retired. Rias Gremory wins."

Scene Break

When Akira stepped into the medical room, Rias gave him a look that suggested that Christmas had come early, had she been a child. Rias had second degree burns from being unable to avoid Riser's hits, nothing too serious. "How are you feeling, Issei?" He approached the holder of the Boosted Gear, who was lying on a bed with a pipe connected to him.

"Never better, Akira-senpai." He groaned out. It was clear that the last attack had completely exhausted, given how much power it had along with the number of Boosts Issei had maintained throughout the game. Hell, he wasn't even sure if he could tank it and not take substantial damage. It was indeed extremely terrifying. His performance overall, had been nothing short of impressive.

"You've done good." He responded. "You should take a rest." He patted Issei's shoulder, pushing him down as he tried to get up before looking at Kiba. The blonde prince was lying down as well, having received a broken arm, courtesy of Riser.

"How have you been?"

"I'm kinda jealous that you didn't train me, you know? Seeing Issei use those flames, it was awe inspiring." Akira smirked. The flames was something that Nidhogg had trained him for, though it took Issei to truly understand what Ddraig's element embodied, the destructive and chaotic nature of Ddraig made him nearly fail.

"Maybe I could have pushed you past the limits to create a different sword." Kiba seemed oddly pleased at that statement. Probably a sword nut. Akira was sure that he would go nuts at the sight of Usumidori with its heavenly appearance. Thankfully, that weapon was still being held by Yusuke along with Heaven's Gate.

"Koneko." He greeted the young petite girl who sat on her bed silently. When she didn't respond, Akira prepared to leave.

"Thank you." He could hear the sincerity in the words, despite the softness of her voice. He could feel the corner of his lips tugging to form a smile, a genuine one.

"Not a problem." He moved on to the next bed, which contained Akeno though he could feel eyes gazing at his back, trying to bore a hole through him. "I'll like to have my whip back." He asked, holding out his hand in front of Akeno.

"Aw, I was hoping to keep it." Sighing, he plucked the whip out of her hands. It was still in good condition, thankfully. Then again, the weapons formed via execution seemed to be much more durable than any other weapon he bought.

"It is not mine either. I'm just holding it for a friend." He responded, extending the whip once to check its condition before rolling it back up. The leather had not been scorched somehow, leading to questions that Akira decided was better not asked.

"Is it a male or female?" He had decided to not tell her that he had kept this whip because Ann had a improved one, because it could spell trouble. But now this? It seemed that Akeno was trying to find some material to tease him with. This was, again to be expected given her nature.

"Not telling." His simple response made Akeno pout once more, before wincing slightly. Her wounds were nothing too serious, just superficial burns made by a few of Ravel's fireballs. Other than that, she was fine and currently the least injured in the peerage.

"Rias." He found himself standing at the bed of the redhead beauty.

"Thank you, Akira." The gratefulness was there. No other words could express how thankful the Gremory Heiress felt for him training some of her peerage, otherwise she might have lost and gone straight to Riser to be his wife.

"Not a problem." He responded. "Issei just reminded me of someone I once knew. Akeno as well" Lying through his teeth had become easy, ever since the Phantom Thieves came about. He wasn't going to say that Issei reminded of his past self after all, powerless to help someone in need. Akeno however, was another matter. Acceptance of yourself was a matter he had fully understood, when he had to accept each mask that found him a kindred soul unto himself. In a sense, it was similar, yet different.

"I hope we aren't interrupting anything?" Akira turned sharply, having sensed the two signatures outside the door long ago thanks to Ongyo-Ki.

"Sirzechs Lucifer. Lucifuge-san." He greeted the crimson haired man with his Queen. He had his suspicions on why the two of them were here, but he couldn't be certain till they spoke.

"Mind if we speak?"

 **A/N: Didn't know how to end this either, btw. To be honest, I was expecting to finish this chapter up by Sunday night, but I was able to somehow squeeze in some time to make this work.** **This chapter was me not knowing what the hell I was doing, so apologies. Though, I just finished my exams so I may have more time to write stuff depending on my luck. Still gotta find a part time job though so yeah. Listened to Worth the Lie by Feint, Muzzy and Koven to finish this up.** **So I just wanna say this. For those who have followed me and my story so far, thank you all. It's only the fifth chapter and I never really expected to receive this many follows/favourites. So yeah, thanks for supporting me. Don't really know how else to say it.**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Playing Politics

 _Time frames and locations_

 **Persona Skills and Speech**

[Dragon Speech]

POVs

 _Tuesday Morning, Lucifer's Office (Keep in mind that it is past 12am.)_

Akira's POV

"Nice office you've got here." Sirzechs only gave a small smile in response to Akira's banter. Indeed, the office was extremely extravagant, including ornaments that did not need to be present such as the dual tall vases that stood on each side of the door. The oak desk that Sirzechs was sitting behind had to cost a fortune, that was for sure.

"My kind... has the tendency to spend on things not needed." It seemed that avarice was rampant in devilkin, although it was clear that Sirzechs himself was somewhat uncomfortable with such an elaborate arrangement even if he was dressed for such. Grayfia certainly did not seem out of place, as the office had probably been designed with a French theme in mind.

"So what do you want to talk with me about?" He shrugged his shoulders, might as well get straight to the point here. No point beating around the bush after all.

"I would like to first thank you for training Issei and Akeno. Without your help, she would have probably lost the Rating Game."

"Er... thanks?" He didn't know how to respond to Sirzechs' gratefulness.

"Had you not trained them, I would have been forced to intervene and things might have become quite messy."

"Let me guess, when you became a Maou, you were forced to ditch family relations?" Akira watched as Sirzechs pinched his nose.

"You are sharp. Almost too sharp for your own good." A small smile graced his own lips.

"You sound like Rias now. She said nearly the same thing to me when I was training Issei and Akeno." The remark was responded with a small smile on Sirzechs' face as he laughed good naturedly. Right now, it was hard for him to believe that he was actually talking face to face to the leader of a faction, given how light the mood was.

"Say, Akira-kun. Who are you, really?"

"I'm sorry?"

"You are an unknown, I checked your records. For the first 16 years of your life, you were nothing more than the kid of a businessman who did pretty well, above average in the whole of Japan. Then, the year before, you were convicted of assault." Despite all that being thrown at his face, Akira still remained calm. He had learned to do so in many situations, thanks to Yusuke who would always appear as such no matter the stakes.

"You've done your research." Akira remarked.

"This is where it gets interesting. During the one year, you transferred to Shujin Academy in Tokyo, the only academy that would accept you on the basis that it would be more popular after being able to house a criminal without too much hassle. A month or so after you transferred in, the Olympic Medallist and Volleyball Star of the school suffered from what they call, a change of heart. I find this too likely to be a coincidence." Akira nearly gritted his teeth in remembrance of the black haired bastard. From the moment he walked into Shujin, he was treated like plague except by Ryuji and Kawakami until he left the school after completing his second year.

"What if it was a coincidence?" Sirzechs continued on, ignoring Akira's statement.

"The next major person to suffer a change of heart was an artist by the name of Madarame, and it was supposedly reported that you had been in contact with his pupil, Yusuke Kitagawa. Need I go on?" Akira knew it as well as Sirzechs knew. There was no point in hiding his identity as a Phantom Thief anymore.

"So you discovered my identity. Great Job." Sarcasm dripped from Akira's words as he spoke.

"What I simply don't understand is how you were able to change the hearts of others. How did you do it?" He scoffed. The method was something rather twisted, even if it did work. It was all about playing with the mind to fuck it up psychologically so that a confession could be forced out. Yet, it was the only solution, given the once rotting society of the world.

"I see no reason to speak of this." The Metaverse was gone anyway, merged with reality itself and the hellish landscape was no longer there, even if the air that did permeate the Metaverse still lingered a bit.

"It is not too far fetched to say that you could use whatever you did to force a change of heart to do something else, like killing the target." So that was what Sirzechs talking about. He believed Akira to be a threat.

"Do not lump me in with the likes of Goro Akechi." He hissed. He wasn't a murderer, unlike Akechi. That single thought offended him, until he realised that his thoughts had been clouded by his anger. He quickly calmed himself down before speaking. "The method I use is no longer available, but I still hold my powers."

"You believe yourself to be able to hold against the two of us?" He gestured to himself and Grayfia.

"I don't believe. I know." He called his bluff. Akira could possibly fight the two of them to a standstill, and perhaps escape to a safe part of the Underworld though he didn't have a proper to escape the realm back Earth itself provided that he dodge the first shot that Sirzechs would aim at him.

"And what makes you think that? I could annihilate you, where you are sitting right now." He pointed a finger at Akira.

"I could also put a bullet through your head now." He commented, instantly pulling out Nataraja and aiming it at his head. This was possible due to him having Mada on. He decided that bringing Nataraja instead of the Tyrant Pistol this time would be more useful as the pistol was forged from Metatron, giving it holy attributes that would only be found in Archangels, making it extremely useful against devils. "We would both die and this would spark a civil war because of a power vacuum. Thus, you would stand to lose more than me."

"I see. Truly, you are an odd one." Sirzechs chuckled as he put down his hand, Akira doing the same with his pistol though he now placed it on his lap. "Appearing as nothing more than a blank slate on the surface, yet being able to adapt in any situation."

"What can I say?" The atmosphere had returned back to the light one, though it was certainly not as light as before.

"So, I hope that you won't pose a threat to us?"

"Unless you force me." Akira responded. His pistol now lay upon the table, for all to see as he disarmed himself of his pistol.

"That is quite the gun you have there." Sirzechs gestured to Nataraja. "It is quite intricate and beautiful, yet radiates a sense of danger." Nataraja was a sleek white gun, with two wings that extended outward from the rear sight. The barrel was smooth, longer than normal pistols. That was what allowed it to have better accuracy that most pistols along with a casual grip. Simplicity at its finest.

"It is more than it meets the eye." Sirzechs nodded at that statement.

"What isn't?"

"Who knows?" Akira shrugged his shoulders in return, keeping his pistol once more.

"I believe that I've held you up for long enough. Here." Sirzechs placed an envelope on his desk and pushed it in front of Akira. "This is an invitation to Rias' victory celebration for her first Rating Game."

"You devils seem to love to flaunt everything." Akira deadpanned.

"Politics." He responded with a grin.

"I'll say this, politics suck." Politics were troublesome at times, but he was thankful for Yoshida for teaching him the ropes of such a troublesome yet necessary thing. Honestly speaking, politics were something that he could do, yet had no motivation at times. It was something he held admiration for towards those who were willing to get their hands dirty(except for people like Shido).

"I couldn't agree more."

 _Thursday After School, School_

"Issei. You really need to stop peeking. You just got out of the hospital not too long ago." Akira sighed, watching as Issei began striding towards the girls' changing room, given how it was time for the Kendo girls to change.

"But the nurses at the hospital didn't allow me to read my porn! It has been days!" Issei protested. Akira sighed, even though the Rating Game was over,

"You should tone down a bit for now. It's not like you're fully healed. Your attack did a number on you, if I remember." He sighed as he gestured to the barely visible bandages on Issei's body. Even though he could now take more punishment, the drawback from using Ddraig's flames was that if he didn't have enough control it would backfire on him given the destructive and chaotic nature. That was exactly what had happened to Issei after he transferred to his flames, not being able to handle the sudden influx of power of his flames. "You're not gonna be able to run away from them in your current condition." Akira gestured to Motahama and Matsuda, who were already getting chased by the Kendo team. The eventual happened as Motahama stumbled, tripping Matsuda in the process and causing them to collapse in a heap as the Kendo girls began to give the two of them a beating.

"You're right." Issei agreed, returning to his previous spot beside Akira who was reading a book. Laying down on the grass, he groaned, feeling the pain as he shifted, trying to find a comfortable spot. "Say, Akira-senpai. How are you so powerful?"

"I went through a lot of stuff last year."

"Ddraig says that the Nidhogg you summoned is as real as a fake could be, he almost couldn't tell the difference."

"Persona. That is what the Nidhogg I summoned was." He saw no reason to hide the truth from Issei any longer, though he should have been more wary of the Welsh. Even when caged, Ddraig could still pose a threat given his knowledge of things due to his long lifespan.

"Persona? Isn't that a mask that you wear that is different from your real personality?" Akira nearly laughed, it seemed that the pervert had more than boobs and porn running through his mind at the very least.

"No, it is much more than that. In this case, it is more profound. The words 'I art thou, thou art I' should be taken literally."

"But wouldn't that mean that you are Nidhogg and Nidhogg is you?" Akira sighed, this was going nowhere.

"Personae are manifestation of the soul, your will of rebellion. They showcase your true personality and each Persona user can only have one Persona. For me however, I have many Personae due to me being a Wildcard. That is what makes me able to wield many Personae."

"That's so cool! How many do you have?"

"I'll say roughly 200, perhaps more."

"Which is your main one then? I mean, with 200 you need to have one that like controls the others, right?."

"Never pegged you for one to have actually the brain to ask the right questions." Akira chuckled as Issei shouted indignantly. "Mine's Arsene."

"Arsene?"

"Arsene Lupin. A fictional gentleman thief created by writer Maurice Leblanc." Akira explained. "Didn't they teach you about English Literature in class?" Issei could only sheepishly scratch his head in response.

"I was kind of too obsessed with drawing my sensei naked." He admitted with no shame at all. Akira simply shook his head, just what sort of karma had he amassed in his last 17 years of his life to befriend such a person?

"You should focus on your studies more, you know? Exams are nearing, plus isn't Rias staying with you? I'm sure that she wouldn't mind letting you do stuff with her." Issei was a mumbling mess after his statement.

"H-how did you know?"

"Rumours fly around fast in schools, especially when it concerns the most popular girl of the school. Oh well, it's not like she sleeps naked with you." Akira shrugged his shoulders, only to see Issei with a flabbergasted expression. "I jinxed it, didn't I?" Issei's face turned serious for a second.

"Akira-senpai, can you read minds?"

"No, I'm afraid not. It was a lucky guess." Silence reigned for a bit before Issei spoke once more.

"Say, Akira-senpai. Can you help me with my studies?"

"Why?"

"Because if I can get into the top 10 of my class, Buchou will let me grope her boobs!" Akira facepalmed, of course his motivation for studying would come from perverted purposes.

"Alright, I'll help you. Just don't inform anyone about my powers. Not yet, for now at the very least."

 _Your bond with the Perverted Highschooler has reached Level 4!_

"Thanks, Akira-senpai! I knew that I could count on you! Can we start studying tomorrow?"

"But aren't we attending the celebration of Rias' first Rating Game victory tomorrow?"

"Oh shoot, you're right! What do I wear?"

"A suit." Akira deadpanned. It seemed that despite Issei's knowledge shining through at certain times, he seemed to still be clueless on simple matters like social etiquette.

 _Friday Night, Ballroom in Gremory Territory_

He would never say this out loud in front of Makoto, but he was enjoying the wine that was being provided. It seemed that aged wine was more common in the Underworld as the devil population was lesser than humans, making such wines a more common commodity than in Earth. Makoto would probably smack him, given how he was only a few months of being legal to drink. Then again, the devils here seemed to have much more looser rules when it came to such trivial matters.

Akira sighed as he tugged at the collar of his black suit once more, he was definitely not a fan of suits. How could others wear this and manage to look comfortable, it was simply beyond his comprehension.

"Having fun?" Akira turned to face Rias, who had been going around and mingling with the guests.

"Not really. I'm not one for such formal events."

"Yet you seem to blend in perfectly into the background. I couldn't even spot you until moments ago." Akira smirked, that was one of the trademarks that he singlehandedly held. As long as he wore the right outfit, he would be able to blend into the surroundings without much trouble and people would have a hard time spotting him unless they truly knew who they were looking for.

"Meh." Akira shrugged his shoulders. Come to think of it, he seemed to be doing a lot of it recently. "Where's Issei? I thought he would be following you or something."

She gestured to a small table, which Issei was talking to several other women. More like the women were giving complements and flirting with him, while Issei obliviously ogled them.

"He's too oblivious." Rias nodded in agreement, her grip on her wine glass becoming more constricted as she watched Issei. "Calm down, Rias-san." He grasped her wrist, forcing her to relax her grip on the poor wine glass. Right now, spider web cracks could be seen on the glass already. Akira was sure that had he not stopped her, the poor wine glass would have been shattered.

"Thanks. I'm sorry for my unsightly performance."

"You like Issei, don't you?" The effect was instantaneous, as Rias blushed the colour of her hair.

"No, I do not!" She raised her voice, which drew the attention of several guests. Said guests looked around for moments, before turning back and engaging in their previous stages.

"Denial is merely one of the stages." Akira grinned as Rias mumbled something incomprehensible while her blush grew even more red, if it was even possible before she finally shook her head. Now he finally understood why teasing was such an enjoyable thing to do. He should really do this more often. "It's understandable how they are flirting with him, given how his performance at the Rating Game. In the end however, he's still your Pawn, remember?"

With that, Akira moved away, leaving Rias alone to deal with her feelings. His grin had receded back into his poker face, betraying no emotions as if he had never smiled or laugh in the first place. Swirling the wine around his glass proved to be slightly entertaining, although it did not completely kill his boredom. He was only here for formality's sake, nothing more as it would be rude of him to reject an invite by Sirzechs himself. It was not like people were going to talk to him, right? The room mainly consisted of devils of high social status except for him and Rias' peerage, none would probably talk to him.

"I'm surprised that Rias invited a human here."

Sairaorg's POV

He was just walking around, with the occasional look of disgust sent his way due to his bastardised existence. He was born into the house of Bael but did not hold the Power of Destruction. This caused him to be expelled from the house, along with his mother for failing to produce a suitable child. He gritted his teeth as he remembered. Now, he had claimed his position as Heir of the Bael clan, yet it was a bittersweet victory. That day he had defeated the previous heir, his mother had finally succumbed to his sickness, leaving alone as his mother continuously slept on the hospital bed in Sitri territory with no signs of waking up despite her stable condition.

The title of Strongest Youth was another bittersweet victory, given how he was shunned after proving his might. His people still didn't fully accept him, but all that would change the day he ascended to be the head of the clan of the Great King. He would reform the Underworld and abolish such thoughts from each and every devil, no matter the effort or the time needed. Time was something he had in abundance after all, given how devils tend to have long lifespans. Effort? He had put in enough effort to prove his might, he would do it all over again.

Walking around in large strides, he finally reached the area where the younger devils were mingling around, talking to each other. Sairaorg shook his head. All of the faces right there were nothing more than facades. That was when he noticed someone. His senses told him that he was a human, yet people except for his cousin, Rias seemed to ignore him.

"I'm surprised that Rias invited a human here." Sairaorg took a good look at this person. He stood around roughly 5'10, had curly hair that seemed to be impossible to straighten. He got the feeling that despite being a human, he was something much more than just that, like he was a challenge. And Sairaorg loved challenges.

"Akira Kurusu. A pleasure to meet you." He stuck out his hand, which Sairaorg returned with a near crushing grip. To his surprise, it seemed that Akira was not only able to withstand his strength, but also counter it. He grinned. Attending this event was already turning out to be good.

"Sairaorg Bael." As violet eyes bore into black ones, they seemed to resonate. Both knew of hardship, of pain, of joy, of the many feelings and things in life, of the many things they had been deprived of. Both had gone through many events that shaped them to be what they were today. It was as if two kindred souls had finally found each other. Akira was the first to speak up after they stopped shaking hands.

"You've gone through a lot, Bael-san." Sairaorg couldn't help but agree, looking back at his entire life so far.

"So have you, Akira. Just call me Sairaorg." Akira smirked back in return.

"You don't like this sort of formality either?"

"No. My father made me attend, given how I'm the heir of the Bael clan. Politics and such, having to make a good impression." Akira nodded in understanding. "Why are you here then? No offense, but I don't see any reason for a human to be here."

"Well, I couldn't exactly turn down the Lucifer's invite, could I?"

"You must have been special to receive an invite from him personally." Akira nodded in response. Sairaorg now held Akira in a new perspective. Just who was this person in front of him to be able to receive an invite from Sirzechs himself? He couldn't wait to find out. A perplexing mystery stood in front of him and he would crack it and discover its secrets.

"He's a bloody siscon. That's why he asked me to come here. Ensuring that I am not a threat to his dear sister." Sairaorg snickered as he heard Akira's response, who somehow was able to say it with a straight face. He had heard rumours of Sirzechs being a siscon, but to hear such accusations coming from a human was truly amusing. Akira's reply couldn't have been any better.

"For some reason, that sounds extremely logical." Sairaorg replied as he clinked glasses with the bespectacled person.

"Heh." Akira slowly sipped his wine, as did Sairaorg. The night was young, but it was certainly turning out to be interesting already, though it was somewhat boring. He hated this kind of life, where his kin would simply waste themselves away, causing them to stagnate in their power. He would change this mind set, no matter how long it took.

Akira's POV

Chatting with Sairaorg was a nice change of pace, honestly speaking. Sairaorg had a difficult past, though he was not one to probe about it. He would let the Bael open up when he was ready, not rush it. He wasn't one to push others after all.

Glancing up at him, he realised that he seemed to be lacking in something that he saw in most of the devils around here. It was the high magic reserves that most of the high class devils had, all except for Sairaorg. Looking at his muscular build which wasn't very well hidden by his suit along with those calloused hands, it was as if he didn't hold something that made others look at him in disgust. That made him come up with more questions. Sairaorg was the most muscular devil he had seen so far, unlike the other devils who had lean builds. That indicated that Sairorg worked out and trained a lot. The question was why? Why did Sairaorg train so much more than the other devils who had lived for centuries? Why was he shunned by his people? He shrugged his shoulders. It wasn't his right to know, not yet at the very least.

As the two of them comfortably settled down, it seemed that things were to take a turn, for the better or worse. **"It seems that the Phenex's arrogance has not been completely knocked out."** It had been a while since his Personae made contact with him. The one currently talking to him was none other than Abaddon, who held a strong dislike for the pillar.

"What do you mean?" Akira had a nagging feeling, but he needed to confirm his suspicions.

 **"Exactly what I'm saying. He's making his way here. In fact, he's nearly ready to kick the doors down."** Not a second later, the doors were punched down, a burn mark left on the scorched wood. **"The younger one seems to have a more rational mind, unlike the first."** Abaddon grudgingly gave a complement as Ravel tried to stop her brother.

"What is he doing here? Didn't he lose?" Sairaorg looked perplexed. Akira didn't see any Phenex present, that meant that Riser had come in without an invitation.

"His pride was wounded and he seeks revenge." Akira guessed.

"Bah! I see no pride in Riser, only arrogance." Akira agreed with Sairaorg, as did his other Personae. It was not everyday Akira heard a devil make an extremely logical statement after all. And against another devil no less.

"Where is Rias Gremory? I demand that you come out at once!" Riser roared, ignoring his sister who tried to pull him by the leg. This was certainly turning out to be interesting, although he might have to step in if needed. Ravel tried to beg her brother to stop, but it was for naught as rumours and murmurs spread around the room like wildfire.

 **"The room reeks of hypocrisy."** The bronze Archangel flatly stated, betraying no emotion.

 **"For once, it seems that Heaven and Hell are in agreement."** Belphegor chuckled darkly. None could refute that statement.

"Riser Phenex, what are you doing here? You were not among the invited guests!" Rias walked into the field of vision, staring down Riser whose eyes smothered with hatred.

"You must have cheated during the Rating Game! There's no way your team could have been so strong! Especially the Pawn!" He jabbed a finger at Issei's direction, who looked at Riser. He sighed, it was time for him to intervene. He placed his glass on the table, which earned a raised eyebrow from Sairaorg.

"That's because I trained him." Akira was next to Issei, putting a hand on his shoulder to reassure him. Issei nodded in affirmation as the two of them loomed at Riser unwaveringly.

"And who are you supposed to be? A mere human has no business here." The sneer on Riser's face nearly made Akira scrunch his face in disgust until a familiar voice interrupted the stare down.

"Not unless he's been invited by me." Sirzechs stepped forth into the ballroom, past the broken doors and escorted by Grayfia as usual. "Riser Phenex, you have broken several laws today. Trespassing another clan's territory, being a public nuisance and interrupting a private event. These offenses can be overlooked, as long as you take your leave right now." Sirzechs declared. It was smart of him, Akira had to admit. Though, he had to ask. Was the ruling in the Underworld so lacklustre that the four Maous could walk wherever they wished and issue offences?

As Akira expected, Riser did not back down, digging himself a bigger grave. "No! I believe that Rias cheated!"

"Keep in mind that you gave her ten days to train, and there were no other conditions. You did not specify that she couldn't ask for outside aid, or use her own resources. Since I am an ally of hers, she could ask for my help." Akira grinned as he knew that he had Riser at the end of his wits with only mere words, nothing more. Hopefully he had diffused the situation enough for Riser to stop his aggression.

"Bah! That does not matter! I challenge you to a duel to the death!" Gasps were heard as the challenge was issued. Many devils began muttering, thinking that Akira's demise had come early. It seemed that even when Riser was defeated, he still had the arrogance that many of the devils in this room had. Indeed, the room reeked of hypocrisy. But who was he to judge? Akira sighed, it seemed that he would be forced to fight tonight. Thankfully, he had come prepared. He had Paradise Lost and the Tyrant Pistol with him hidden in his suit. Taking out the bladed weapon, he twirled it before pointing it at Riser.

"You will regret ever challenging me, Riser Phenex." His eyes began to glow red as the crowd cleared, giving the two of them space to fight as Riser began clenching his fists, causing fire to rush out.

 **A/N: Didn't have a really good way to end this, so yeah. Listened to Dynamo by Puppet and the Vantablack EP by Dirtyphonics and Sulivian King for this one.** **So, I was considering on making another crossover. I currently have drafts for P3 x P5 and P5 x RWBY. They were made when I was kinda bored Do you think I should publish either? Do comment and yeah, I'll see what I can do.** **Btw, thanks for the comments so far, I'm still job hunting so I might be able to do a double update provided that I don't have to babysit my brother.** **Ilat-2: Metatron is officially dead, not unofficially for a reason.**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: ...

 _Time frames and locations_

 **Persona Skills and Speech**

[Dragon Speech]

POVs

 _Friday Night, Arena_

Akira's POV

Upon Sirzechs' behest, both of them had moved to the arena for the fight. To be honest, this should be quite easy given how Riser mainly used fire attacks and he had Drain Fire and Repel Fire. This was probably going to be a slaughter. Though, he couldn't help but shake the feeling that something big was going to happen.

"Welcome to this impromptu fight. This is a duel to the death issued by none other than Riser Phenex himself! On the opposite end of the spectrum, we have a human, Akira Kurusu! Now, my name is Noria and I will be the arbiter/commentator for this match!" Akira smirked as he twirled Paradise Lost once more. Riser Phenex had an arrogant sneer on his face and Akira was ready to knock that arrogance down by a few pegs. Though, he was somewhat troubled by the fact that it was a duel to the death. As expected, many jeered at him.

"Akira Kurusu may be a human, but does he have an ace up his sleeve? Let us find out! The duel will commence in 3..." Akira held his hand out, as the World Arcana began to fall on his hand once more. Riser cracked his knuckles in return.

"2!" As he smashed it, blue flames consumed him for a second. Riser nearly doubled over that at. "1!" As the flames disspitated, Akira was wearing his Phantom Thief outfit once more. He saw no reason to hide his identity as a Phantom Thief and was pretty sure that several devils would have seen his declaration against Masayoshi Shido at one point. "Fight!"

"You're going down, human." Akira had Mada equipped, to gain pretty much a free Heat Riser as he also used Mada to concentrate. He wasn't going to bring out his Personae unless needed. "Take this!" Akira laughed as the fire was absorbed into him harmlessly. Mada could absorb fire and the flames of a Phenex was no exception.

"What is this? The flames just got absorbed by the human! What is going on?"

"Is that it?" Akira asked, before going in. He was going to buy Mada some time to finish up the concentrate before swapping out for a new Persona. With blinding speed, Akira landed two gashes on Riser, who groaned in pain before hefting a fist of flames, ready to counterattack.

"First Blood goes the way of Akira Kurusu!"

Akira let the fist hit him as he somewhat pitied Riser. If anything, the punch was weak, even weaker than what Yusuke could probably muster at a moment's notice. Concentrate was still going on, thus Akira decided to play defensively, dodging the next few attacks with ease which were honestly speaking, pathetic. "Stay still and let me hit you!"

"Riser returns the favour with a punch, but Akira seems to be dodging the next ones! Why is that so?"

"That's kind of an idiotic request." Akira deadpanned. Sighing, he pulled out the Tyrant Pistol, blasting Riser in the face and knocking him back. As Riser regenerated once more, his face was a mask of fury while Akira casually placed the gun back into his trench coat.

"Riser is knocked back, man that pistol looks extremely deadly!"

"How dare you! You will die by my hands!" Akira watched as he began to charge up his attack. Seeing how Concentrate was finished, he swapped to another Persona.

"Now, let me show you the power of a Trickster. Let lose the dogs of war, Surt!" The bold declaration sent the audience into shock for a few moments, even the commentator.

"W-what? Did he just say Surt?"

Akira pulled off his mask, causing blue flames to surround him as Surt manifested in front of him in his kneeling position. **"Inferno."** Surt spoke a word as the fire giant swung his sword and a laser shot in the area around Riser before causing flames of extreme temperature to shoot up from the ground and hurting him.

"Such power from the Trickster! How is Riser faring?"

To answer the question, Riser screamed in agony, probably having never faced such pain in his entire life. Akira remembered the time when Yaldabaoth had blasted him and his crew with a Rays of Control attack. That had hurt like hell and it certainly could not compare to any other attack. Surprisingly, Riser was still able to speak. "You bastard! I will kill you!"

"I do not have any intention of dying." Akira watched as the flames of the concentrated Inferno finally dissipated, Riser standing up with blistered skin regenerating by the second. Shock, anger and pain. Those were the three emotions running through Riser's face as Surt faded back into the Sea of Souls.

Standing up, he took out a vial of purplish liquid that seemed to radiate power. It almost seemed to come from an infinite well of power. Where had that come from? Come to think of it, Yaldabaoth had a near infinite source of power as well due to how many humans worshipping him in the sense that they wanted freedom from choices. Even then, Akira had overcome the odds to actually defeat the God. He eyed Riser warily as the Phened drunk the contents of the vial greedily before flinging it aside. Akira could tell that his power levels had been raised, though by how much was not clear. A slight purple hue engulfed Riser for a second before it disappeared. "I will crush you, like the insignificant human you are!"

"Whatever Riser drank, it seems that his power is now of an Ultimate Class Devil's! Can Akira survive this?" Akira was surprised. Shouldn't Riser be disqualified for doping? He was sure that doping wasn't allowed, unless since this was a duel to the death, it probably meant that there were no holes barred. It seemed that he would have to up his game. Mada's buffs had already worn off, there probably wasn't a better time to reapply them.

He analysed his opponent, who seemed to be drunk with his newfound power. Using this moment, he called out his next Persona. "Ongyo-Ki!" Akira ripped his mask off again, causing the leader of the four Oni appear behind him. **"Heat Riser!"** To the audience, it seemed like no one appeared but that was mainly because Ongyo-Ki was hiding in plain sight. None could match his detection and hiding skills after all. It took special preparations to just even catch a glimpse of him. Ongyo-Ki spun his dual headed scythe before slamming it on the ground, causing three miniature coloured pillars to rise up, in the formation of a triangle. This was going to be good.

Dismissing Ongyo-Ki, his mask returned to his face. Just in time as well, as Riser began his assault. However, he wasn't fast enough to avoid the first punch. This time, the punch actually hurt and hurt a lot more than it should have. Then he noticed the swirling flames around his fist. That explained a lot of things. Now, he had to counterattack. An eye for an eye. He slammed his free fist into Riser's gut, causing him to cough as he retreated a few steps, giving time for Akira to swap to his next desired Persona. Though, he had to dodge a ring of fire that Riser used to try and trap him. Leaping up, he found the next one.

"Black Frost!" Pulling out the mask, the evil version of Jack Frost appeared behind Akira in a flash of harmless blue flames. **"Diamond Dust!"** A swirl of the Artic breeze circled Riser, forming a light blue ball of gentle frost that seemed to be harmless before it suddenly exploded, ice shards rapidly multiplying and piercing his skin. Riser did not groan in as much pain as Akira thought, though he looked like he was ready to downright murder him.

"It seems that the ice was not enough! What else will Akira do next?"

If that wasn't enough, it seemed that he would have to use something else. As he thought, Riser broke out of the ice shards easily enough, though he had wounds that took more time to regenerate than at the very beginning of the match. If he had to hazard a guess, his regeneration was linked to his stamina or magic reserves. That meant that as long as Akira could keep wounding Riser, he should win. "Die DIe DIE DIE!" Riser yelled, throwing flames randomly and causing them to explode. Some hit Akira, which made him grit his teeth in pain. He was going to need to heal.

 **"Why not just use a Megidolaon and end this?"** Melchizedek made a valid point. He kept thinking that this was a fight where he had to keep the target alive. This wasn't. As Riser had stated, he had challenged Akira to a death match. Only one would walk out of the arena alive. Before Akira could do something however, Riser performed another unexpected action that made Akira grit his teeth.

"Come, my peerage!" A large magic circle appeared behind Riser, transporting his 15 pieces onto the battlefield. Akira clicked his tongue. This was not good. As his peerage began to move, he quickly contemplated on his next action. He would no longer hold back. Riser was pulling out all the stops to kill him.

"No more holding back." The statement made Riser freeze in his tracks for a few seconds, as an overwhelming presence filled the arena. The arena fell silent, feeling the waves of power being emitted. "One chance. That's all you get to back out of this."

"I will not back down!" Akira was deathly silent at Riser's response.

"I gave you a chance, you wasted it. I hope you have no regrets before passing on."

"Such a bold declaration coming from the challenged! Can he back up his statement?"

"Nebiros! Belial!" Akira pulled off his mask, summoning two Personae at once for the second time in his entire life. He prayed that this would work, for it could perhaps backfire on him.

 **"Fire courses through the rivers of Hell**

 **Hell's requiem of souls is at hand**

 **Behold, this fire, this flame that ignites our souls**

 **Let the fire ravage and consume our enemies!**

 **Flame of thy Soul!"**

Blue flames ignited around Akira as he strode forward. Akira gritted his teeth in pain, his soul was literally on fire, being expanded outwards in a ring of flame that followed him wherever he went and would follow his direction. Nebiros was able to manipulate souls to the point at it almost looked like real resurrection, while Belial was a master of the flames, allowing him to ignite his soul while Nebiros reigned over his soul temporarily, pushing part of it outward like an aura.

A soul contained many things. The current things being used to fuel it was his passion, his rage, his fury and most importantly, his will. His will to soldier on no matter what. For his friends' sakes. For everyone, for those who still clung on to hope and did not despair. Such was the will of his soul, which ignited his passion to protect humanity. With the World, anything was possible. He had the will to endure. He would endure, no matter what.

"Go!" Riser's peerage charged once more, ready to dismember him, aiming for the kill. Blue fire curled itself along Paradise Lost in a rare show of the element being subjugated and used. The fire was like a loyal servant before a King showing control as Akira manipulated it with the fire completely at his command. With the first slash, he took two pawns out, them screaming in agony as their wounds cauterised themselves after being slashed with the enormous heat being radiated from the blue flames. His free hand found its way into the stomach of another pawn. Three pawns laid defeated behind him as he continued forth, burns evident on their body.

"In a show of force, Akira has taken out three Pawns!"

The next to fall was a random Knight, who tried swinging her sword wreathed in flames of her own towards him. The aura of flame around him was so hot, it simply melted the blade even before the blade connected itself on any surface. Paradise Lost found itself impaled into the stomach of the Knight, pulled out in an instant. As the Knight collapsed itself, Akira danced a dance of death, slashing the next Pawn that foolishly tried to advance and attack, leaving her on the ground writhing in pain.

As a bomb flew towards Akira, he pulled out the Tyrant Pistol, shooting the bomb and causing it to explode. Redirecting his aim to the first Bishop, he squeezed the trigger, the Bishop falling in a pool of her own blood as she fell, a hole in her gut. Dashing forward, he whipped the next Pawn with his gun before pulling the trigger at zero range, blasting her in the stomach.

Putting away his pistol, he flew forth, using his dagger to stab the first Rook before following up with an uppercut, knocking her out cold. The last four pawns tried to launch an attack together on Akira, and it seemed to work for a second, until a ring of fire spread outwards hitting the four of them and knocking them back with force. Their screams of agony seemed to delight Alice, who would always watch him whenever he got into combat.

The Rook and Knight tried to team up as well, but Akira evaded the Rook's blow before dealing with the Knight by stabbing her in the liver. She would live, but with a scar. The Rook, enraged swung another punch but Akira ducked under it before kicking her in the stomach. The Rook kneeled down, before Akira launched another kick to her head, knocking her out.

Now to deal with the second Bishop and Queen. He felt the effects of Heat Riser, wear off. Analysing the rest of his opponents, he found Ravel and Yubelluna trembling in fear, while Riser looked ready to cut him into pieces. If looks could kill, he would have died many times over. "I offer the two of you a choice. Surrender and do not interfere or end up like the rest. He gestured to the numerous bodies scattered around the arena. Nodding their heads frightfully, they shifted themselves to the side, since there was no retirement system and they wished to stay out of the crossfire.

"Useless brats! Every single one of you! I will handle you myself!" Riser charged forth, a fist coated in flames outstretched. Akira did the same, his right fist connecting with Riser's left fist. As their punches connected, his fist shook slightly, Riser strength amounting to more than Akira's. Fuelling his fist with more flames, he eventually pushed Riser's fist back, before lunging in for the kill.

Riser's eyes finally registered fear, as Akira's blade plunged straight into his heart. In a single motion, Riser kicked Akira way, making him watch as his heart regenerated. "I suppose there is no other way." Akira pulled out his pistol, firing two more bullets into his heart, which Riser tried to block with his hand. Keyword being tried. The bullets penetrated his hand, before continuing their path onto his heart.

An howl of agony rang through the arena as the bullets penetrated his heart, two more holes present as he tried to regenerate the wounds. "Riser, there are three bullets left in this gun. Your regeneration is failing you as we speak. You had your chance. Now, die."

"F-fuck you!" Riser threw out one last insult. Akira watched impassively before squeezing the trigger three more times. The first bullet went into his heart, creating a third hole while the second and third bullet hit his brain. There was no doubt. He was officially dead as his wounds stopped regenerating.

"It seems that Riser Phenex is officially dead. Akira Kurusu wins." The arena went deathly silent at the announcement.

 _Grigori Headquarters_

Azazel's POV

"Akira Kurusu huh?" Azazel was a fairly busy man, yet there were times where he would find the time to hijack into the devil network and check out the latest things in the society. Such was the way of how he had stumbled upon a broadcast of a death match between one Riser Phenex and Akira Kurusu.

"This Akira is a Trickster, huh?" Barakiel leaned forth, staring at the frizzy haired man. "Surt, the Norse Fire Giant said to be the one to defeat Frey and bring about Ragnarok. Ongyo-Ki, the leader of the four Oni which include Suu-Ki, Kin-Ki and Fuu-Ki. Nebiros, one of Hell's greatest, if not the greatest Necromancer there is. Belial, one of the original 72 pillars who persecuted Jesus. "

"It is certainly interesting, isn't it? To be able to summon mythological figures like that. Makes me wonder how strong he is." Azazel responded. "And they even listen to him. Man, I'll be dammed." Azazel desperately wanted some alcohol, not believing that a 18 year old person could do just that. Belial had died during the Great War, same with Nebiros. Ongyo-Ki had gone missing after feudal Japan ended. Surt was nowhere to be seen or found, as evidenced by the lack of Ragnarok.

"Such a person will be beneficial to our faction, don't you think?" Shemhazial analysed the figure. He zoomed in onto the gun and sword on his laptop. "The weapons however, are what intrigues me. The gun, is certainly extremely unique, that's for sure. I've never seen anything like it." Azazel certainly had to agree, the gun was both beautiful, powerful and yet ugly at the same time. It was like two contradicting elements had been mashed into one and melded into the form of a gun. If his father was here, the mistake would have been rectified.

"But he's rather handsome, don't you think?" The remark from Penemue earned several groans from around the table. They were here for serious business, not for such petty matters.

"That sword looks familiar." That perked the interest of the Cadres except for Kokabiel who was absent sitting around the table. Azazel had more knowledge than the others despite his perverse personality.

"Now that you mention it, it does look familiar. Let me see if I can find something." Shemhazial began typing furiously on the keyboard of his laptop, before connecting his laptop to the projector.

"You can't be serious?" Barakiel was the first to recover from what was displayed on the screen.

"It's the only thing that matches in our databanks. Look closely at the sword when the boy wounds Riser with it." As the clip of the fight was played at one-eighth of the speed, everyone noticed how the red gem imbued on the sword glowed ever so faintly, as if it was relishing in the taste of its opponent's blood. None dared to doubt Shemhazial after that.

"I suppose we will have to have a talk with this Akira then. All in favour?" The question received nods from all the Cadre in the room. "Alright. Shemhazial, go and find out where this person lives. Barakiel, go and find Vali for me. Penemue, continue the search for Kokabiel."

As everyone left his office, Azazel reached into his personal cabinet, taking out a bottle of scotch and a shot glass. Pouring the alcohol into the glass, he decided that he needed more. Thus, the shot glass was ditched in favour for a larger one. Downing the alcohol was easy enough. He really needed a break. For the umpteenth time in his entire life, he should have never volunteered to be the Leader of the Fallen Angels. Yet, he couldn't forgo his promise for a certain person. It was his last wish after all.

"I need stronger alcohol." He was bothered by the part where Riser drank that vial. It reminded him of the Ouroborus. But what business would Riser have with it? Meh, he wouldn't be getting answers anytime soon. Might as well continue drinking.

 _Monday Morning, School_

Akira's POV

"And today was supposed to be a normal day." Or as normal as it could get for the Trickster. He had chosen to walk to school as usual, packed his simple lunch of curry with rice and coffee to wash it all down. Yet, it had all been ruined by one simple thing.

"You can't expect your fame to not sky rocket after your stunt." Sona for once, had a smirk on her face instead of Akira. Akira was staring at Sona's phone, which was connected to the devil equivalent of Youtube. There, on the most trending video, was the duel between him and Riser, showing off his domination. He did not mind being in the spotlight, but not when devils were actively trying to recruit him or get him on their side at the very least.

He stared at the pile of letters laid before him. It was gigantic, given how it occupied the entire coffee table and rose up to form a peak at the very centre. "I actually pity you. Not." Akira glared at Tsubasa, who giggled in return.

"Very funny." He sighed before grabbing the very first letter. This was going to be torture, reading through all these letters. This was going to be worse than the time where he had to manage studying after Shido had his change of heart, given how far behind he had been at that point of time.

"Well?" Akira couldn't even begin to comprehend whoever wrote this letter had been thinking.

"Let's just say that she wants to rape me and leave it at that." It was a peerage request, along with a few very detailed paragraphs on what she would do to him if he decided to join her peerage. He shuddered at the thought of it.

"Isn't that kind of harsh?" Akira thrust the letter towards Saji, who read it with wide open eyes before a stream of blood spurted out of his nose.

"You were saying?" Saji nodded dumbly, handing back the letter without any protest or argument. "Another offer for peerage, another one and another one." Akira came to the conclusion that the devils had been won over by their greed, making them send such offers. Otherwise, one would never, in their right mind try to get someone who has demons, gods, angels, monsters and the like at their command into their peerage.

"I think I'll do this after class. There's no way I'll be able to finish this before school starts." Akira wished that he could have Rias use her Power of Destruction to vaporise the pile, but Sona would probably disapprove of that action. Plus, said devil was currently sporting a knowing smile on her face, so it wasn't a really good idea to carry it out. With no other options, he mentally reminded himself to keep his time after school free to settle the letters.

 _Classroom_

"Today, we will be learning about the Second Sino Japanese War. The Second Sino Japanese War began in 1939 but with minor skirmishes beforehand. The first skirmish was caused by Japan." Akira nodded his head listlessly, still bothered by the pile of letters that lay on the coffee table in the Student Council Room, waiting for him to clear it.

"Now, Kurusu-san!" Akira jerked his head up so fast that he could have sworn that he heard a series of creaks in his neck. "The Japanese bombed a railway in Manchuria near a certain province. However, the explosion was so weak that it didn't destroy the railway. This however resulted in a chain of takeovers by the Japanese. What is this incident known as and why?"

"It was called the Mukden Incident. It was because of the fact that the incident happened near Mukden province, now known as Shenyang." Akira thankfully managed to cough out an answer, which seemed to satisfy the teacher.

"Indeed, Kurusu-san. The explosion was in fact caused by Japan, before they accused the Chinese. This led to a takeover of Chinese cities down the rail by the Japanese. Intriguing, isn't it? Such small matters being able to cause war."

Akira released a breath that he didn't know that he had been holding. He was glad that he had been able to answer that question somehow. History was not his strong suit, with so many things to remember that he nearly gave up on the subject many a time.

 _Evening, Student Council Room_

"Finally!" Akira exclaimed as he finally sifted the last letter. It had been hell for him, sitting through the last few hours, reading the same offer over and over again, along with some love letters and hate ones as well. Throw in some death threats and you get the idea. All in all, not a good day. He wasn't made for sitting down and doing mundane work like this. "Though, impaling you to death before parading your naked corpse around doesn't sound very nice or creative, does it?" Sona threw a wry smile at him in return.

"Seems like you're free to go now." Sona nodded in approval. As Akira hefted his bag, he couldn't help wonder what was wrong with Sona. She had tried to speak up several times during the letter filtering, but seemed to dismiss that notion each time. Should he even try to ask what was wrong?

He decided against it, given how he had bad experiences with women many a time. He could never hope to understand them, no matter his power. He noticed her trying to speak again, but saw her hesitation once again, as if she was afraid of the consequences.

Shrugging his shoulders, he nearly left the room. There was no point in staying, plus Morgana would miss him. It was however out of sheer concern for his friend that he decided to not open the door. "Sona-san, is something wrong?"

"Wrong?" She repeated the word. "Nothing's wrong."

"If you say so." He replied, uncertainty evident in his voice as he opened the door.

 _Friday After School, Diner_

Issei's POV

"Come on, Issei. The formula for this is the length of this over sine the value of this angle equal to the length of that over sine the value of that angle."

"It's so complicated!" He regretted asking his senpai for help in studying. Who knew that Akira could be such a slave driver when it came to such matters? This was definitely harder than training with Nidhogg. He would take a session with the Frost Dragon over studying any day.

But then again, Akira was someone he respected. A lot. When he had been in the same changing room as him that one time, there were a few scars that littered his torso. Especially one that was across his body, one red scar that was easily seen. He also had muscles that would make many males jealous. Just how much had he worked out?

"It is tough." Akira seemed to be reminiscing something.

"Then how did you do it?"

"I had to prove the class wrong, being a criminal and all that stuff. You know how fast rumours spread around in schools. So through sheer hard work. Honestly it was tough, balancing between part time jobs and studying but I managed to pull it off." Issei now held a newfound respect for his senior. Struggling with such a busy schedule must have been extremely tough, and he was sure that he wouldn't be able to execute it as smoothly as his senior had.

"I see." He didn't exactly have a response to Akira's previous plight.

"It's ok, you know? The struggle may be harsh, but the ends are what justify the means." His senior sure knew how to make use of meaningful quotes at times. [He's wise.] Issei was confused. When Ddraig said wise and smart, he made it sound like they were two completely different terms.

[That's because they are. Wisdom comes from experience of life and being able to apply it in different situations, while being smart is merely having knowledge in your head.] That explained a lot. If Akira was wise like what Ddraig said, then what exactly had he gone through?

[I would like to know as much as you.] Ddraig admitted. [Ever since you talked to him, I can feel a connection between you and him slowly forming, each time becoming stronger whenever you interact with him.] That perked Issei's interest.

"Issei?"

"Ah yes. Sorry for zoning out, Akira-senpai." Akira nodded back, though he had a feeling that he knew exactly what had transpired while he zoned out.

"No worries." It was almost as if he had infinite patience with him, a mere hardcore perv when his parents had already given up on him, along with majority of the school population. It then hit him. He wanted to become like Akira. Strong, cunning, wise, dependable.

As they wrapped up the study session and parted ways, Ddraig spoke up once more. [How curious. It seems that the bond strengthened itself once more. Its almost solidifying into something else.]

"What do you mean?"

[Strengthen your bond with him and you will see.] Ddraig went silent after that. It seemed that he wasn't going to provide any more answers. It was up to him to find out. Issei would carry out Ddraig's suggestions, hopefully without repercussions. He shrugged. Looking at his phone, he found a text from Matsuda, inviting him to watch porn together.

For the first time since he was friends with them, he rejected the invite.

Akira's POV

He was not a happy man when he found his home door open and two unwanted guests in his living room, Morgana unconscious and lying on the floor.

"Parley?" Akira snorted.

"What part of this looks like parley?" He deadpanned back. He gestured to Morgana, before picking him up. "You broke into my house. Can't you wait for me to come home like normal people? Then again, you guys probably aren't normal. Isn't that right, fallen?"

"How astute. But which fallen am I?" The blond man had a smirk on his face that fell slightly when Akira said his name.

"Nice to meet you, Azazel."

 **A/N: This chapter was pretty meh, in my opinion. Had to clear this chapter while attending a day camp, so yeah. Idk whether I can finish the double update, tbh. Listened to Confessions by MYRNE ft Cozi Zuehlsdorff and New Dawn by Bad Computer to finish this up.**

 **I chose to use Nebiros and Belial because they are needed for the fusion of Alice.** **Plus, the idea came to me when i was about to sleep last night.**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Shards

 _Time frames and locations_

 **Persona Skills and Speech**

[Dragon Speech]

POVs

 _Friday Night, ?????_

Kokabiel's POV

"Are they done?" The fallen in front of him nodded sharply in response to Kokabiel's question before walking off, leaving him alone. "Call Dohanseek for me." With one final nod, the nameless angel left.

Kokabiel was a man of many things. One such thing was the Watcher of God, as many dubbed him long before he succumbed to the Sin of Wrath when his Father died, leaving him to watch over the mortal race of humans for him. He had been the one in charge of the angels watching over the humans beforehand. Over many centuries, he watched as his heart was ground to dust, stomped on, incinerated and finally tossed to the trash, watching humans initiate wars on their own over such petty matters. The Second Sino Japanese War was an extremely good example of that.

He had planned to rectify that mistake by restarting the Great War, but for the past 8 years, mysterious incidents that no one seemed to be able to trace occurred. Thus, he held back his plan. He watched as mysterious traces of activity happened, such as the time freeze of an hour, which every faction was seeking an answer.

It was followed by the mysterious killings in the small town of Inaba, which he initially assumed to be devils, until several mysterious twists and turns occurred. Fingers were pointed at each faction, but the Shinto was the most enraged since it occurred in their land. Last was the changes of heart, in which many criminals confessed their sins. Every single faction wished to have that sort of power, as they could easily do some serious damage against any faction by simply shutting down the leaders of each faction with their mind broken. Many fingers were pointed by the Shinto again, given how the incidents took place in Tokyo. The large energy signature that could rival the weakest of the Top Ten Strongest beings appeared for a bit before vanishing completely, along with some sort of landscape formed from bones. Then another one appeared, that seemed to dwarf the other one. Azazel seemed to have some hints on what it was, but he kept his mouth shut.

The last incident was the easiest to trace, given his spy network and dedication. Who would have known that he had stumbled upon a human, a Trickster no less? His Father had called them the hope of humanity and he was glad to have held his hand. In a few weeks time, he would test Akira. He smiled sadly at the floor, his time was near. Time was ticking, and it would and will never stop, no matter how powerful you were. Time would claim everyone all in the end, there was no stopping it.

He took his white robes that he wore back when he was still a Ten Winged Angel. The tears started flowing as he grasped the robes, his second gift from his Father. His first was none other the life that Father breathed into him. He would make good use of it, and use it to the fullest no matter what.

A sharp rap to the door was heard and Kokabiel quickly wiped his tears, he couldn't afford to show any form of weakness in front of his subordinates. "Come in."

"You called me, Sir?" Uncertainty was laced in Dohanseek's voice.

"Call me Kokabiel. We've known each other for so long."

"Regardless, you still are of higher rank than me." Dohanseek responded, though now in a more relaxed posture as compared to before.

"There's no changing you huh, it seems?" Dohanseek nodded his head fervently. "Let us proceed with our plans. It is time." Dohanseek nodded, and escorted Kokabiel out of the room.

 _Exact same time, Akira's Home_

Akira's POV

"Mind telling me why exactly you are here?" He stared down Azazel, who seemed to grimace ever so slightly under Akira's glare. Akira hated it when people intruded on his privacy, were they ignorant of such things? The girl beside him only remained motionless, though she had a small smile that seemed to gradually widen as she observed Akira.

"Well..."

"Do you mind explaining yourself? If not, I'll like to ask that you leave." His stoic face betraying no emotions, he crossed his arms as he continued glaring at Azazel.

"Woah man! Relax a bit, will you? I come here in peace! Seriously, has no one taught you the word chill?" Akira shot another look at Azazel, softening his stance.

"So can you answer my question now?" Akira was getting impatient, it had been quite a long day given the studying session and he was dying for a bath before relaxing on his bed and talk to his friends for a bit.

"Fine. Geez, you are too serious for a teenager. I came here hoping that you could help me with a matter."

"And what is the matter?"

"Kokabiel and a few hundred fallen."

"Cool."

"I try to be serious for once and you do that?" Akira felt proud of himself for being able to maintain a stoic face throughout the short conversation so far. Meanwhile, the girl behind him giggled a little, as if he had gotten his just deserts.

"So what's with Kokabiel and a few hundred fallen angels?" Deep down, he could easily guess the truth of the matter. Kokabiel had no doubt gone rogue and was planning an invasion in Kuoh. To test humanity, with him being the chosen.

"I want you to stop Kokabiel and the fallen angels for me. He's gone rogue and mad." Akira watched carefully as he spoke his next words. "I can pay you anything in return. Money, the Grigori's got it. Women, we got a lot of hot smoking babes."

"Is that a bribe?" Akira narrowed his eyes. "I have 2 accounts with ten million yen each, while I got a few women in my life ready to date me whenever I wish."

"Then you don't need anything?"

"I can certainly make you have a change of heart and leave if you want." He didn't want to talk to Azazel anymore, it was kind of annoying.

"So you're the one behind the change of hearts?" Akira knew that he would have been exposed sooner or later, he just chose the former option.

"Got a problem?"

"Then can you make Kokabiel have a change of heart at the very least? I do not wish to see one of my best friends gone." Akira shook his head, it was indeed impossible. The Metaverse had already been woven into the fabric of reality of a short time, before completely vanishing as if it had never been there, except for the slight lingering atmosphere that would give you the occasional chill.

"Impossible." He kept the response short and succinct and thankfully, Azazel knew to not probe any further.

"Then I'll send someone here for insurance."

"You doubt my power? After I defeated a Phenex who doped?" Akira laughed.

"So you figured it out. You're too sharp for your age."

"So I've been told. Anyway, the devils will no doubt want to defend Kuoh as well."

"You play your cards extremely well." Akira smirked at that.

"When I was freed from juvie, did you know what I told one of the prosecutors when she asked me about the events?" Azazel leaned forth, eager to hear the answer. "It was all a game."

"I like you, kid!" Azazel laughed heartily at that. "Man, if we met earlier, you might as well have been my drinking buddy." Akira frowned at that statement for that statement reminded him of Akechi too much. It had been what he said before they did battle. Noticing the sour face, Azazel quickly changed it to another subject.

"So, what do you want if you get Kokabiel for me?"

"What exactly is your goal here? I'm guessing that Kokabiel is merely an obstacle that will be removed for something for greater in the grand scheme of things."

He looked at Akira in the eyes for a few seconds before closing them. "True peace."

"True peace? When one threat falls, another rises. Such an ideology is nigh impossible without sacrifices." Akira scoffed at his vision. He had seen it first hand. Just when they thought they were done with Kamoshida, they discovered Mementos and Madarame's plagiarism.

"That's why I would like to ask for your help."

"I will help you with Kokabiel. As for payment, it can always be discussed later. But first, I would like to know something." Akira could use a few answers.

"Go on."

"Why me of all people? You probably have someone who can easily defeat Kokabiel and bring him back."

"It's a messy affair, you know? The peace between us is more like its been forced, due to us having a ceasefire agreement. Should we try to shift our forces, the Shinto and Devils will no doubt lash out at us. The Shinto have been neutral since before the Great War and are quite the powerhouse. The devils on the other hand are getting more powerful, with them having so many peerages and stuff like that, you know? You are not on any side, so you are the safest bet."

Akira wanted to laugh bitterly, it was unfair to him. Why him, of all people? He had been at just the right time at the right place each and every time, making him the perfect candidate for the Wild Card, Trickster and a Persona User already. Had his fate already been woven like that? Still, he could not deny the thrill of adventure that always came along with it. It was certainly welcoming, a long respite from his boring routine that occurred almost daily.

"I suppose it's fine then." Akira finally settled on a response.

"Great! Well, I gotta go now, kid. It's been good and all, but duty calls!" Akira watched as Azazel left through the door, along with the girl trailing behind. She gave Akira one last look, which made him feel slightly nervous. It was as if she was assessing him from head to toe with that one look. He stared into those playful light blue eyes as they met black dispassionate ones. With that last look, she flipped her hair as she walked off, swaying her hips. Anyone who dated her would be playing with fire, he was certain of it. She was beautiful, dangerous and so much more. Her eyes told a tale of sorrow, her struggles in life. It was like Sairaorg all over again. Come to think of it, he never got her name.

"What a meow-verlous girl.." Akira looked down on his lap, Morgana waking up from his unconsciousness and staring at the girl as she left, closing the door behind her. He continued staring until Akira stopped the stroking, him meowing in protest. It seemed that Morgana still held his trait of being attracted to beautiful women. He shuddered to think if Morgana actually went to Kuoh Academy.

"So you're finally awake huh?" Akira stroke the cat, who seemed to enjoy it.

"What happened just now? I remember nothing."

"It's nothing you should concern yourself with for now." Akira spoke as he scratched the cat's ears.

Morgana hopped off his lap, landing on the coffee table before he spoke. "Nothing? Look, Akira. I know that you don't want to burden your problems with us but you are not a burden, neither are your problems. You came through the door last Friday and promptly collapsed for a full day, before waking up. So just tell us what's wrong. Or do the bonds we have mean nothing to you?" Akira winced as he heard the last part. His bonds with his friends, they meant the world to him. But for Morgana to use that against him, it was a low blow, yet extremely effective.

"Fine." Akira grunted out. He winced, rememvering last Friday. Igniting his soul was definitely not a fun experience, given how he had been literally on fire and nearly died because of how long he had maintained it though. Nebiros had told him the risk beforehand, but he didn't really care. "I killed someone."

 _Monday Afternoon, School_

"Akira-senpai!" The Trickster turned around to face Kiba, the charming prince this time having a scowl on his face. When he took a closer look, it was much more than a simple scowl. It was pure, undiluted hatred being radiated from him. "Buchou wants to see you in the clubroom." His demeanour changed into a pleasure as he neared Akira though he could tell it was forced.

Nodding his head simply, he followed the Knight to the clubroom, though there was something off, almost like Kiba had a personal grudge against someone or something. For some reason, Kiba looked extremely relived at the fact that he didn't have to talk at all, as if he was afraid of spilling the beans. Figuring that it was a sensitive subject, Akira decided to not speak and instead simply choose to keep his book and continue following him.

Before Kiba opened the door to the clubroom, he could tell that something was wrong. His scowl had returned back in full force, along with the hate from earlier. He was sure that some of Arsene's first words would be of use to him "Detest the enemies before you. Change that animosity into power and unleash it, right?" Arsene quoted. It was basically use your rage and hatred and convert into power instead of clinging on to useless things. Since Kiba was a Sacred Gear user, it might help him.

The room was thicc with tension, and Akira could easily guess why. Standing near the door were two girls, wrapped in cloaks. One was a brunette, who seemed to know Issei given the glances that she shot him. The other was a bluenette, somewhat of a rare colour given how rare it seemed to be. Her eyes scrunched up in disgust, not hiding it as she observed Akira. "So I take it that everyone is here?" She spoke hotly, impatience in her tone.

Rias nodded her head, before she spoke. "So now that we're all here, do you mind telling me why you're on devil territory, exorcists of the Church?" So they were Exorcists. That explained quite a lot.

"My name is Xenovia and this is Irina. Recently, three of the Excalibur Shards were stolen from the churches." Akira certainly did not expect that, nor expect one of his Personae to start speaking up. He was one of the more reclusive ones after all. **"Such fragments of a hollow mimicry could never compare to the true blade."** Akira watched on as Titania, in one of her rare moments, tried to calm down the enraged Fae King. Akira would have to ask him what he meant later.

He chose to not speak as she continued on. "We have reason to believe that the Shards are somewhere in Kuoh and we have been sent to retrieve it."

"Woah, time out! Did Excalibur break or something?" Issei, as well as Akira was confused.

"I apologize. Issei here just got reincarnated recently so perhaps can we explain about Excalibur while we talk?" Acceding to Rias' request, the bluenette pulled the sword from her back, unwrapping the bandages around it. It revealed a large sword meant for two handed use, with a cross in the pommel. It had an axe like guard as well.

"Excalibur broke during the Great War and the Church tried to fix it with alchemy. When that failed, they chose to make seven fragments of it instead. This is Excalibur Destruction, one of the seven Shards and as its name suggests, it holds great destructive power." Xenovia explained.

"This is Excalibur Mimic. It can take on any shape." Irina pulled out a ribbon which changed into a simple Katana.

"So, how are you going to track down the swords? Do you have any idea on who did it?" Rias questioned expectantly.

"We will track them down. Our orders are to not have you interfere with our search." Her voice was filled with confidence, yet faltered slightly at the next sentence. "As for who did it, it was Kokabiel of the Grigori." The room was silent for a few moments, before Rias spoke again.

"It's Kokabiel and the Church only sent the two of you? Do you have a secret weapon?"

"I'll leave it to your imagination, Rias Gremory. I hope that for both our sakes, you have not allied with him."

"As the sister of the Lucifer, doing such a thing would be preposterous." Rias was clearly offended at the statement, though it seemed to assure the Exorcists that Rias wasn't with the fallen angels.

"I would like to add something." Everyone looked at Akira in surprise, who had not spoken a word till now. "I need to find Kokabiel as well."

"A filthy devil like you should stay out of our business!" Xenovia shot him a challenging glare.

"God." He uttered His name, which provoked the headache from everyone in the room, except for him and the two exorcists. "I never said that I was devil. Do not assume such things."

"Did you really have to do that?" Issei groaned, rubbing his head.

"How else was I supposed to prove a point then?"

"I mean, couldn't you lift their sword or something?" Xenovia scoffed at that.

"Pah! He's not a natural holy sword wielder." Akira gestured to the blade, which Xenovia decided to hand him, she confident that Akira would be unable to lift the sword. To everybody's shock, he hefted the sword with ease and slung it across his shoulder. To be truth told, he didn't expect it either. Then again, with the World, anything and everything was possible.

"Here." He handed the sword back, which she grasped it again, glaring at him as if her thunder had been stolen by him. However, this interaction seemed to start a chain of events which would break the floodgates as Xenovia spotted Asia standing beside Issei.

"I certainly did not expect to see a heretic here, now a devil of all things." Asia hid herself behind Issei, nervous and afraid under Xenovia's glare. "Tell me, Asia Argento. do you still believe in God?"

"I still do." She admitted with no shame or fright, just a twinge of regret in her voice. It probably had to do with her past, but he wasn't about to judge one by such a thing. It was the present that forged them, not past actions.

"Then let me cut you down in the name of God."

"It's laughable, you know?" Akira spoke up once more, attracting the attention of everyone. "Since when did humans get to do things for God? If God wanted her struck down, He would have done it himself, not ask humans. The Church is an institution run by men, and men do not determine what goes on in Heaven."

"You dare?!" Xenovia raged, but Irina held her back with a hand placed on her shoulder.

"I dare." Akira could easily call upon an Angel of any kind and have them tell the same exact thing. Dominion, Power, Angel, Principality, Archangel and even Uriel were all willing to contradict that misconception. "The Church has so much hypocrisy, it's near laughable. Their holier than thou attitude makes me want to simply double over." All the Angels in his mind could not help but agree with the Trickster, he had seen and peered into the disgusting collective distorted desires of the masses and everything else, in the form of Mementos. How far they were willing to take that hypocrisy, how much they had done 'in the name of God'. The best part was, that was simply the tip of the iceberg.

Scene Break

How had he gotten here again? Oh right, Xenovia wanted to defend the Church's reputation and challenged him to a battle, but the seeds of doubt had already been planted. He could see the slight hesitation that was in her eyes. Honestly speaking, Akira was ready to do battle. It would be amusing to see how his swordsmanship matched up against hers. Twirling his dagger in his hand, he prepped himself while Kiba stood not too far from him, ready to face his opponent.

It seemed that Kiba held a grudge against the Excalibur fragments. He didn't know the full context of it, but his objective of revenge was on the wrong target. A weapon wasn't evil by itself, it was the wielder who used it with either good or bad intentions. **"Well said."** Chi You responded to his thoughts. A weapon could never be evil by itself, though there were a few examples like Masamune. But then again, it was because of the fact that hatred had been exposed to it for so long, it became like that.

"Hajime!" Akira pulled Paradise Lost out, and watched Xenovia carefully as she dashed forward, no true style in mind. She brought it over her head, ready to strike Akira down but found it blocked by his dagger. It seemed that she relied on the power of Excalibur Destruction and her brute strength to break through an opponent's guard and defence. Honestly speaking, it was a poor style against him given his nimbleness. Her eyes widened in shock when she realised that the black dagger had not broken or been damaged in the least at all despite her effort.

That was enough for Akira to abuse her shock as he quickly pushed the sword back, taking her by surprise as he began his assault of stabs and slashes, all which she managed to block somehow. Yet, Akira had katas ingrained into his mind, improving his muscle memory as he searched for a weak spot.

"There!" Akira quickly pushed her blade aside, given the small loophole in her stance, loosening her grip on sword for a bit. This allowed him to dash forth and have his dagger by her throat in an instant. "Give up. You lose."

Xenovia slammed the tip of her sword onto the ground, causing a small tremor which distracted Akira for a second. This gave the room she needed as Akira was forced to leapt back to avoid being hit. Well, at least she knew how to use her sword well enough. Still, it was disappointing to him, as Xenovia charged again without any second thought. This was seriously like facing off against a Jack Frost with Surt on, but even Jack Frost had more tact than charging forth recklessly.

Dodging the first strike, he leapt forth. Xenovia anticipated a sword strike, but Akira used his feet to attack, which threw Xenovia off as she tried to block the foot aimed at her midsection. This enabled him to use his free hand, which formed into a fist as he performed a simple uppercut. Xenovia did not expect that and she was cleanly knocked off her feet and landed on the ground with a loud groan.

Before she could try to recover, she felt the edge of a blade on her throat. She had lost. It was clear. Nodding her head weakly, she felt the blade leave her throat but didn't expect her to see a hand right in front of her. "Thanks." She took it and Akira helped her up. Though, she had the feeling that he could have ended the spar much sooner, given his skill with his dagger. "Why help me?"

"Is there a reason?" Thankfully, Xenovia decided to not pursue it anymore and chose to watch Irina's spar against Kiba along with the rest. It wasn't going well for the blonde, given how each sword he made was shattered. Now, he held a large two handed sword, which killed his speed. Akira frowned. Kiba would no doubt lose this match, as he didn't have his speed anymore and probably poured in a lot of his magic reserves to make such a large sword.

As expected, Kiba swung the sword too slowly, allowing Irina to maneuverer around it easily and slash Kiba with her katana. He yelled in pain as his skin steamed from the slight contact with the holy sword, showing how deadly it was to his devil self. There was no doubt that the match was over, as Kiba didn't have the endurance to fully endure the pain. As Akeno called the match, Kiba protested, but it was shot down by Rias.

 _Monday Evening, Home_

Akira was curious about Excalibur. Thinking back to what Oberon said, he decided to question the King of the Fae on what he meant. He had learnt through his Personae that legends were mostly true, but should always be taken with a grain of salt. Figuring that it would be better to talk to him face to face, he crushed the card of the Emperor Arcana, summoning him.

 **"It's been a while, Trickster."** Oberon greeted, sheathing his sword and folding his butterfly wings behind his back before sitting on the sofa.

"Indeed. What do you mean by fragments of a hollow mimicry?"

 **"Let me start by asking this question. Have you thought of why these fragments needed a sort of holy element for people to wield them?"** Akira shook his head in response, the thought didn't cross his mind. **"It's because after I created Excalibur, Heaven tried to do the same to arm its Angels, but their process was too volatile, making their version too fragile. The weapon was filled with some sort of light element to make sure that it could only be used by Angels or human Exorcists. Thus, the power could not be contained fully after some time and spilt into seven parts as a result."**

"Then what of the original blade?"

 **"It still lies in the safekeeping of the Lady of the Lake, ready to be given to the new King once he draws Caliburn out of the stone. To be honest, Excalibur should not be considered a holy sword. It is only Heaven's version that should be considered as such."** Oberon admitted.

 **"Because Excalibur judges everyone fairly, right? It does not judge based on race, but rather your heart to determine the worthy."** Oberon nodded, pleased that Akira had grasped the basics of the sword.

 **"That's right. I made it as such, because I do not discriminate."** Oberon was harsh as a ruler, but even then he had his merciful side. **"When I heard of what Heaven tried to do, I nearly went on a crusade against them. I hated to see my work replicated, even if it was nothing more than a pale imitation. Excalibur, it was with all my heart, passion, soul and effort that I put into making that blade. I admit, it is my proudest work."**

"But what happened?"

 **"The Great War happened. All of the three factions tried to seek our assistance in forging blades, but we turned down any requests. Their so called Excalibur failed them, shattering into seven shards, seven shards of a fake. A fake which could not surpass the original. I do not regret not forging blades for them. The last blade I ever personally forged or touched was Durandal for Roland. Then, I let my craftsmen do the work, for I feared for the blades that I made but even those were for humans only. Durandal is now nothing more than a toothpick for the Church after they took it. An event that I should have intervened in when Roland died."** Oberon's past troubled him greatly and Akira could see why. The swords that he forged with painstaking effort were meant for humanity, yet it was being monopolised by others because of their power.

"It's ok, Oberon. Our past does not make us, do not let it control you." Oberon looked at him for a second before laughing.

 **"Truly, you are most intriguing. I'm glad that I chose to answer the call to be your mask. Farewell for now, Trickster."** Akira nodded as Oberon faded back into the Sea of Souls.

"You're quite the listener." Morgana hopped up onto the arm rest of the sofa, scratching himself. "I mean, every time we got a problem, you're willing to sit down and listen to us and even respond properly." Akira shrugged his shoulders, listening was a skill he developed early on along with patience by listening to his mother rant during his time as a kid.

"I suppose so." Akira muttered, before picking up his phone. He had to do a bit of research to do.

 **A/N: Slightly shorter chapter, so yeah. Been searching for a job as usual, so I've been trying to find time to do this chapter. My aim is to publish another chapter this Sunday latest so do watch out for that. Listened to Spitfire by Infected Mushroom to finish this along with Monody by TheFatRat ft Laura Brehm.**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: The Search Begins

 _Time frames and locations_

 **Persona Skills and Speech**

[Dragon Speech]

POVs

 _Tuesday Morning, Home_

Akira's POV

After some consideration, Akira had decided to skip the school and venture out to look for Kiba. He was worried for his kouhai, anger and revenge clouded his judgement. It was like with Akechi, whose vision of justice had been clouded by vengeance and anger. He did not wish to see a repeat of that, Kiba's time was not near yet.

Sighing, he put on his casual clothes instead of the standard Kuoh Academy uniform. Thankfully, Morgana had gone back to sleep after the loss of his heat source, as he was not going to tag along. He was sure that Morgana would have given him a dressing down, which would in turn make him lose precious time which could have been used to search for Kiba.

The problem now was, where was he going to start his search? He didn't exactly know the Knight well enough to discover his location that easily and he didn't have a sensor based Persona like Necronomicon or Prometheus while Ongyo-Ki's senses could only reach out so far. He was more well versed in the arts of ninjutsu than sensing. How would he start his search? Sighing, he swapped his casual clothes for his uniform. It seemed that he would be attending school after all.

He needed more information. Why was Kiba so obsessed with the destruction of the shards of Excalibur, even to the point of abandoning Rias' peerage? Perhaps his master would have more information? So many questions, so few answers to the satiate the pool of ever growing mysteries. As his phone rang, he picked it up this time without bothering to look at the caller ID.

"Hello?"

"Hello, son." His mind froze as he heard her voice again. He hadn't been expecting his mother of all people to call him. And why was she calling so early, without any warning? She wasn't the kind to call every so often, her calls would only come three or four times a year at best. "How have you been doing?"

"Fine." He noticed the mirth in her voice, despite it being over a phone. The last call she made had been almost two months ago, so what was she playing at?

"I hope you do remember our conversation two months ago, because we will be arriving soon." She continued on, as Akira felt a sickening feeling in his stomach. With the recent events going on, he had forgotten that his parents would be coming here. "And do remember to prepare your suit as well." She chirped before pausing, as if she was expecting a reply.

"Alright." He grumbled. Her tone left no room for argument after all. He hated formal events, it was all banter and talk, nothing more. People could be easily bought over, with simple sweet words layered with honey to ensnare others. So much bootlicking in one single event, it was almost unreal.

"I know you dislike formal events, but bear with us for this one, alright?" His mother seemed to be able to read his mind still, and her oddly comforting voice put him at ease for some reason. "It's being hosted by the Kirijo Group, and we can't afford to mess this one up." Akira knew of the Kirijo Group. It was a household name among the Japanese themselves and well known internationally. Such a feat for a Japanese based business had been only achieved by mainly car manufactures and a few retail stores, nothing more. Though, the Kirijo Group was suspicious in their own right.

There were hints suggesting some suspicious activity, but could never be traced back. One such incident was the death of the former CEO of the group, Takeharu Kirijo. He was in the pink of health, so why would he die all of a sudden from a heart attack? Another was an incident back in 1999, where some place exploded. It was in an area controlled by the Kirijo Group, which meant that they had tried to do something but failed spectacularly. It was odd, to say the least.

"Alright, Kaa-san. I will."

"Glad to know that you're willing for once." Akira could nearly see the small smile that appeared on her face. "I'll see you soon." The call ended and Akira realised the implications of his parents coming. He prayed fervently that his parents wouldn't arrive too soon, for it would mean more trouble than needed. Sighing, he picked up his school bag and walked out of the door.

 _After School, School_

Come to think of it, he should really drop his things off at his home before he went off to find Kiba. They would do nothing but to hamper his search, given the weight and he could always conceal his weapons on himself easily enough. A dagger/short sword(he still wasn't sure Paradise Lost was actually) and Nataraja would be easily concealed given their small sizes.

Deciding on his course of action, he began walking out of the school gate, only to be stopped by Koneko and Issei. He could easily hazard a guess on what they wanted, as they approached him with a determined look on their face. "Akira-senpai!" He stopped at the call, facing the two of them.

"You want me to help you find Kiba, don't you?" Akira noted the slight relief in their faces. It seemed that they were relieved at being spared of having to ask him the question. "I'll help, of course. Kiba's on a path of no return, and I'm not going to let that happen to him." The two stared at Akira, whose eyes were determined yet was distant, as if he was remembering something that steeled his resolve. Akira did not wish to let Kiba to go down on a path of ruin, he still had his comrades who cared for him. Justice was the Arcana that suited Kiba the best, that was for certain.

"How?" It was a simple word from Koneko, but Akira knew what she meant. How were they going to search for Kiba?

"Why don't we find the Exorcists and strike a bargain with them?" It seemed that Issei had the most logical ideas when it came to times like this, he knew where this was going while Koneko looked confused.

"We strike a bargain with them to destroy one Shard, Kiba should come." Akira explained, which left Koneko nodding her head. "I need to go put down my stuff first. My stuff's just going to weigh me down. I'll search for Kiba, while the two of you look for the Exorcists and try to convince them."

Nodding their heads in determination, all of them split up, with Akira walking back to his house.

 _Suburbs of Kuoh, Evening_

Akira's eye twitched as he finally managed to track down Kiba to a single location. It had not been hard to trace his footsteps by asking people, given how blond people were rare in the small town. Many of the women he had asked had called the blonde handsome and when they found out that Akira was Kiba's friend, they had given him directions. A bit too willingly. Though, along with Ongyo-Ki's keen senses and the places that Kiba had been spotted in, he finally managed to narrow it down into a building.

The specific building, was a love hotel of all things. Then again, it made sense because no one would expect Kiba to be here. He had to ask though, what was going through Kiba's mind? He decided to camp out here and wait for Kiba rather than going in and asking around, while blending in with the environment by sitting down and using his phone to listen to music. This was the safest and most time consuming method, given that Kiba could come out any time. Though, it would at least relax Kiba's guard for a bit.

Come to think of it, the Kirijo Group that his mother mentioned earlier was somewhat suspicious, but was it actually worth investigating? He had a gut feeling that it could be worth something, but was it truly worth the time to investigate? Swapping his app to the phone, he called Futaba. She would know what to do, plus she could probably hack into any database with ease. Her being able to hack into the TV station to broadcast the calling card was an excellent example.

"Yo, Akira! You never call! How have you been?" Futaba's excited voice rang through his ears, nearly making him deaf.

"I'm fine, Futaba. Listen, I need you to do something for me. Do you mind?"

"What kind of question is that? Of course I don't!" Her excited voice rang through once more, making him wince in slight pain. His pain endurance did not apply to phones, apparently.

"Futaba, there is something strange about the Kirijo Group. I want you to hack into their database and search for something relating to the incident in 1999."

"Consider it done! I'm sure that they have some pretty powerful firewalls, but nothing will stop me!" Akira sighed, Futaba liked boasting about her hacking skills at times, which made her well suited for the role of support.

"Be careful, Futaba." He responded.

"Of course I will! Don't worry, you'll get results by tomorrow!" With that, she cut the call. Though her voice was filled with confidence, he couldn't help but worry for her. Was this payback for all the times he did stupid things, making his team and others worry about him, such as the time when he turned himself in to the police?

Sighing, he put his music back on and waited. Kiba would have to be coming out soon, it was past 7 and the sun had set, meaning that devils would be at their near peak. True enough, Kiba appeared at the entrance of the love hotel later, exiting it as he looked around warily. Quickly putting away his phone, he walked towards the Knight and tapped him on the shoulder. He immediately spun around, ready to defend himself until he saw Akira. "What are you doing here?" Hostility was present in his voice.

"Come on, let's go somewhere and talk."

Scene Break

They found themselves in a small and isolated park. Perfect for the two of them to talk without anyone eavesdropping. He began the conversation. "Kiba. Stop this." Kiba glared back at Akira in return.

"Why should I stop? I will not stop until I have my vengeance!" He spat out.

"Why do you hate Excalibur so much?" Akira was curious, hoping that he could get some answers.

"Because it took everything away from me! My friends! Those I called family! Everyone!"

"Do you mind elaborating?"

Kiba stared at Akira's eyes, before sighing and calming down. "When I was a kid, there was this thing called the Holy Sword Project and I was roped into it." Akira nodded, he was finally going to get some answers. "Like the naive kids we were, we believed that it was all for God and submitted ourselves to experimentation, that sort of thing, you know?" He laughed bitterly before continuing. "One by one, our numbers dwindled as kids got taken away and never came back. Yet, we still believed that it was all for God. After some time, we began to suspect that something was wrong and they made their move. Those who imprisoned us in their lab decided that it was time to get rid of us and began to gas us. The first couple of kids, they died while sleeping. It must have been peaceful, with no panic nor fear. Just peaceful sleeping expressions as they died." There was a strange expression on Kiba's face that he couldn't quite place.

"For the rest, we all woke up as we saw what they were doing to us. Many cried in terror as they fell, yet they could do nothing against it. Those that I came to call friends, they died as they tried to hold back the men, allowing me to escape. Yet, it was all for naught as I ventured into the forest. I had inhaled in too much of the gas and was dying. That was when Rias found me and brought me into her peerage. Ever since then, I swore revenge for my friends." Kiba glanced up from the ground as Akira put a hand on his shoulder.

"You're wrong, you know? Revenge should not be focused on the sword. It should be on the person who used it for their own gain. A weapon is not evil by itself, but rather the person who wields it." Kiba nodded.

"Then Valper Gallei is my target." He declared.

"Before you dash in head first, there are more things that you need to know. You should not seek revenge for your friends, but rather justice."

"What do you mean?"

"Revenge and Justice are two different things. Revenge is doing it for a sense of satisfaction and dishing out whatever punishment you deem fit to the offender, while Justice requires no rewards in exchange while also bringing the person before the law. After all, everyone is equal before the law no matter who you may be. The law punishes all fairly no matter what."

"You sound too wise for your own age." Kiba muttered, which Akira chuckled at.

"The other piece of advice should help you a lot as well. Detest the enemies before you. Change that animosity into power and unleash it. However, do know that it should be used at the right time only." Kiba looked confused at the statements.

"It almost sounds like they contradict each other. Why?"

"You'll understand. Sooner or later, they all do. It took me a while to realise it as well." Kiba still looked confused.

"You'll understand it, Kiba. Seeing how you're more level headed now, why don't we go pay Koneko and Issei a visit? They've been worrying about you for a while now." Kiba found that Akira was right. He did feel much more calm than before, the rage having dissipated. His folly of ditching his comrades came back to him. Koneko and Issei were also his comrades, he wouldn't ditch them a second time. Not anymore. He would no longer run from his mistakes.

Akira smiled, Kiba had finally came back to his senses. His phone buzzed, and Akira picked it up. "Hello Issei?"

Scene Break

"Hey." Issei looked relieved, though he also looked like he was about to cry. It wasn't difficult to see why. Both the Exorcists, Xenovia and Irinia, were digging into a plate of food, though a few empty plates were stacked neatly on top of each other. RIP Issei's wallet. Koneko meanwhile, looked stoic as always, though there was the ghost of a smile on her face as if she just saw the pervert get his karma for peeking or the fact that Kiba was back.

"Hey." Akira responded, taking a seat next to the table next to them. Kiba did the same as well. As the two Exorcists finished their last plate, they prayed, which earned several groans of pain from Issei, Kiba and Saji? Koneko winced slightly, but that was it.

"Never would I thought that I would be receiving food from a devil. But, thank you for the meal." Akira could easily interpret the English thankfully, given his score in the subject.

"It's fine. So, will you let us help you find the Shards?"

"I still can't, I'm afraid." Akira groaned for a second, before Issei aaid something which pretty much saved the deal.

"Then let me help you not as a devil, but as the Red Dragon Emperor! They can't refute that if you received help from a dragon, right?" Akira found himself nodding his head in approval along with Xenovia.

"That is acceptable."

"I'll help as well. As a Trickster."

"What is a Trickster?" Confusion was evident on both of their faces. It seemed that the Church hadn't educated them on such terms.

"Your higher ups will know." Akira stated plainly. "They will not mess around when it comes to one who bears the title." He took a gamble, which would hopefully work. "Name's Akira Kurusu, by the way."

"I hope that we will have a happy partnership, even if temporary." Xenovia and Akira shook hands.

"So how do we find the shards?" Kiba got straight on with business. There was no time to waste after all. However, he couldn't help but think that this was a plan of Kokabiel's. All he was missing was the motive behind doing so.

"Why not bait them?" Issei suggested. Akira had to admit, that suggestion was good. The question was, how would they bait them?

"Last night, Freed attacked me." Kiba spoke up, which drew attention from all the involved parties. "He used Excalibur Rapidly as his main choice of weapon. So if we get him, we should be able to uncover their location." Kiba suggested.

"Good thinking. Question now is, how do we bait Freed? If we bunch up together, he won't come after us but if we separate, we can't reach each other in time if one of us gets ambushed." Issei wondered out loud.

Irina provided the answer to that. "Recently, the priests that we sent into Kuoh got killed off by an unknown cause. If it is Freed who's killing them off, then maybe we can disguise ourselves as priests to bait him and patrol the night." Her suggestion held merit, even though it was a gamble.

"I can't join you on that, though you can contact me if you guys find their hideout. My parents are coming over soon and I need to keep up appearances." They nodded their heads. "I should be able to make it in time." Akira had discovered that infinite sprinting was still available as long he was in his Phantom Thief clothes. Along with his skill in parkour, he should be able to cover the entire city in less than an hour.

Thus began the search of the Excalibur shards.

 _Friday After School, School_

Akira knew that the patrol last night had been unsuccessful as well, given the sour look on Issei's face and the absence of a call or text on his phone informing him of any success. "Man, we've been searching for a few nights yet Freed hasn't appeared!" Issei complained.

"Patience, Issei. It is essential in anything and everything." Akira responded.

"Alright, Akira-senpai. Man, why do you and Ddraig give the same advice?"

That perked his interest. "The Welsh is old and wise beyond comprehension, as for me it is because I have been seeing things and experiencing them myself. Thus, I know what is required when it comes to such tasks." Akira explained.

"Oh, I see! Say, Akira-senpai. What did you go through to gain such wisdom?"

"It's a long tale. One that I can't tell fully." Issei looked down until Akira spoke up again. "I didn't say that I couldn't tell you something about it." As Issei nodded his head eagerly, ready to hear what his past was like, Akira took a deep breath and he remembered his life when he first entered Shujin.

"When I first stepped into Shujin Academy, people had known of my status as a criminal already. The only other one willing to accept me as a person first was someone named Ryuji. He was basically a troublemaker. It took patience for the others to accept me, as me were afraid of me beating them up, according to the rumours. It was till I topped them in our first exam then they started accepting me as a student rather than a criminal." Akira explained.

"It must have been hard huh? Being an outcast and all."

"Actually it wasn't." Akira said, which made Issei surprised.

"What do you mean?"

"It wasn't hard being an outcast. People would avoid me, but I was fine with that. Plus, I found fellow outcasts weren't well liked by others or simply shunned. One was a model by the name of Ann Takamaki. She was an outcast because rumours of her were spread around. They were rather... unpleasant."

"Oh. I see." Issei didn't speak much, but he felt that he could understand Issei much better now. He understood that Issei was an outcast in Kuoh Academy as well, given his perverse personality.

"It takes time and effort, but people will gradually accept you as long as you make a conscious effort to improve yourself." It seemed that the words seemed to strike a chord within Issei, as he could feel the bond strengthening itself once more.

 _Your bond with the Perverted Highschooler has reached Level 6!_

As Issei nodded once more, he began walking away, probably reflecting on his words. It seemed that it was the start of Issei turning over into a new leaf, though he couldn't be too sure. It was too early to say for sure.

Akira looked at Issei's fading figure, satisfied. **"Changing the pervert, are we?"** The remark from Ishtar left Akira smiling a bit.

"It's for the better." He responded. He felt the entrance of a new Persona of the Aeon Arcana and welcomed him/her into his soul.

 **"It probably is."** There was no argument from any of his Personae, it was indeed for the better.

 _Night, Home_

Akira was still on stand by. It had been hours since the group went patrolling after school. He had stayed at his home, expecting his parents to arrive any second given how his mother phrased her words. Her meaning of soon could easily range from a few hours to days with no end in sight.

It was at these times that he would simply settle down and read a book. Books were something that he liked, especially ones that could take him on a rollercoaster. One such book he favoured was the one he found on Arsene, The Great Thief. It was one of those books that would still have him hooked no matter how many times he read it.

Sighing, he found his hands snaking to his phone and earpiece, ready to plug in some music. Futaba probably wouldn't have any info till tomorrow at the very least, so that meant that he had nothing to do. Flipping to the fifth page, he continued reading on.

By the time he read finish the book, it was past 10. If he had to guess, they would be ending their patrol soon. He had not been updated of their schedules for the patrols. Conveniently enough, his phone rang. "Akira-senpai!" Issei yelled. It was somewhat rushed though. "We managed to track down their base! It's the church in the middle of town!"

"Wait!" Akira yelled, but Issei had already hung up the call. The feeling of dread within his stomach that manifested earlier in the day began to grow as well. Something was not right. Why would they choose such an obvious location? The church was in the middle of town, the perfect hotspot for trouble if you wanted to put a secret base there, unless...

Gritting his teeth, he dashed out, crushing the World Arcana as blue flames enveloped him and he donned his teeth outfit. He could only pray that he wasn't too late, but God would not be listening despite the fervent prayer. He began his sprint to the church, hoping that he could make it in time.

 _Church_

Xenovia's POV

How were they all so stupid? To be baited into a simple trap like that, it had definitely been dumb of them to even try to attack the base without back up. Though, she still somewhat doubted Akira's ability and power.

She gritted her teeth as Freed tried to pull Durandal out of the ground, which thankfully failed. Still, she could not bear to see the deranged priest touch Durandal. Her entire body was nailed to a wooden cross, along with Irina, Issei, Kiba and Koneko. She felt guilty. If only she had chose to wait instead of giving in to the rage that was garnered by the priest's taunt, this would have never happened.

The blood that flowed from her hands freely had stopped, but it still didn't stop the numbing pain that was attacking her nerves, trying to persuade her to give in to the temptation of fainting to stop the pain, even if only temporary. She gritted her teeth once more, in an attempt to stay awake. Beside her, Irina wasn't fairing too well either, both of them having sustained wounds from the ambush earlier.

Issei and Koneko had been sniped with blessed bullets earlier, making it impossible for them to continue fighting as they were quickly taken out of the picture. Despite Kiba's speed, he was soon taken out by Freed who still wielded Excalibur Rapidly. Both Irina and her had been held back by waves upon waves of exiled Exorcists. She had taken out Durandal, hoping that it would help more than Excalibur Destruction but it was all for naught as Freed managed to sneak up on her and defeat her. Durandal now was stabbed onto the ground, unmoving and unwavering as Freed pulled at it once more before giving up.

"Oi, Valper! The sword's still stuck in the ground!" Freed complained, before hefting Excalibur Rapidly over his shoulder.

"Leave it, Freed. Someone else is approaching this place. You know what to do." Valper commanded from the second floor. Xenovia had a sinking feeling as she knew who Valper was referring to. The doors swung open and Akira walked in. If she hadn't met him before, she wouldn't have known that the masked person was him. The curly hair, no doubt about it. It was the defining feature that gave him away.

"Get out of here! Go and warn the others!" She yelled, but her words were lost in the wind as Akira strode forward, analysing every single thing in the church. She could feel it. There was a simmering rage lying beneath that mask of his, waiting to be unleashed.

"Hey! Time to die for me, yea?" Freed yelled as he dashed towards Akira, ready to behead him. She noticed how Akira's lips curved up into a smirk and she couldn't comprehend the sight that was in front of her. Akira had a slash across his torso, his fancy trench coat and shirt damaged with the sword lodged in his gut. However, the smirk never left his lips. She looked over to Irina to see whether she was seeing the same thing.

Irina also had her eyes wide open, not believing the scene before her. His lips in fact, curled into a sinister and sadistic smile, as he pulled the sword out, despite Freed's attempt to push it back in and wrench control. The smile, she had to admit, it was more terrifying that anything she thought possible. When he spoke, it was in a raspy voice that didn't match his normal voice. It sent shivers down her spine, the voice was so distorted that she would forever remember it in her nightmares.

 **"Is that it?"**

 **A/N: Well, that concludes this chapter. I've been job hunting as usual, doin nothing much. Listened to Eyes Wide Open by Bishu and Lyra by MRYNE for this chapter.**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11:

 _Time frames and locations_

 **Persona Skills and Speech**

[Dragon Speech]

POVs

 _Friday Night, Church_

Akira's POV

 **"Is that it?"**

Akira slowly strode into the church, in his Phantom Thief outfit, excluding the white bird mask that nested on his copy's mask. His posture was relaxed, hands shoved into the pockets of his trench coat. He walked forth lazily, none stopping him as they were all stunned by the second Akira present. "Oi, Valper! Why the fuck are there two of them? I thought you said only one!" Freed was the one to speak, and complain he did. But in doing so, his life was near forfeit. He could see the insanity in Freed's eyes, along with Ongyo-Ki vouching for that. Freed was a stain in the world, and he would be stopped one way or another. Even if it meant incapacitating him.

Some might call him cruel for thinking in such a way. But others would approve. To be honest, it was the merciless nature of Ongyo-Ki influencing him. Thankfully, he still had some semblance of restraint, thereby preventing Freed from being killed.

"Ongyo-Ki. **Myriad Slashes.** " He intoned. Based on Freed's stature, he would not be able to withstand even a Myriad Slashes. Especially not when he had charged up earlier. It was a technique that required extreme luck and skill to dodge, and Freed certainly didn't either. The speed granted from Excalibur Rapidly would do nothing at all, given the sheer speed of the technique. The only drawback was, if the first hit missed, the following ones would not hit their mark as well. A puff of smoke appeared from the Akira that had been stabbed, revealing Ongyo-Ki in his dark outfit with his twin head scythe.

With speed that evaded even Akira's eyes, Ongyo-Ki quickly spun his scythe in two full rounds above his head before swinging his weapon at Freed. **"Be gone."** The distorted voice of Ongyo-Ki spoke once more, as Akira felt the slight drain in his HP to use the technique. He regretted having to maim Freed, but he was a blight upon the people, better off gone. In his entire life, he hadn't met someone as distorted as him. It would be near impossible to steal his heart, even if the Metaverse did exist still.

The first two slashes came out of nowhere, striking Freed by surprise who wasn't able to evade the blows in time, giving him two large wounds horizontally across his chest. This also caused his ribs to snap, leaving him screaming in agony. The third slash came from the top, striking him perfectly as it gave him a third scar in the form of a vertical straight line.

As Freed slowly fell onto the ground, Excalibur Rapidly slipping from his grip, Valper glared at Akira with such intensity that he would dead if looks could kill. "You! How could you kill him, you fool! It took me ages to find one who was willing to work for me!"

"Who would want to work under you? Plus, he's still alive." Akira responded back, a smirk present on his face as Ongyo-Ki retreated back to the Sea of Souls and his mask reappearing.

"Kill him." Valper was now fuming with rage, unable to let go of that insult. Each and every Exorcist leapt from the shadows, ready to strike Akira down. The smirk never left Akira's face as he began moving to deal with his opponents.

"Persona." The word was muttered, but the power of the word made everyone stop in their tracks. Akira wasn't going to hold back. No more, after seeing his friends and acquaintances treated so harshly. Akira had ripped off his mask, blue harmless flames surrounding him as a new being took form.

 **Heretics.**

 **Zealots.**

 **Extremists.**

 **I see what they call you.**

 **Where is thou conscience, working for such a lunatic?**

The booming voice did not go unnoticed by anyone, rousing every Exorcist from their stupour. The being in front of them was no doubt dressed for battle, and literally radiated power as the helmed being took in the fear on each and every exorcist's face, and the amazement on the rest. To say that he was literally power incarnate wouldn't be a mistake.

 **Well?**

"It's because we had no choice. It was forced upon us." After the being asked once more, one of the exorcists finally spoke up. The others nodded in agreement.

 **I see.**

Akira silently laughed. Power was merely playing mind games with them, nothing more. Power was one to strike down the enemies before him, and never questioning. This Power in particular was actually a six winged angel, making him extremely potent. Power was an angel, in the service of God who kept the annals of History and struck down their foes mercilessly, never questioning no matter who or what. Some might call him heartless, merciless, but Akira knew better.

Swiftly, he moved over to the others and began freeing everyone by prising the nails out one by one while the enemies were kept occupied by Power.

 **When Man called for God**

 **He sat on his throne with infinite patience**

 **Watching as Man began to curse His name**

 **So this is what Man hast become**

 **So be it**

 **For thy conscience is clouded**

 **I, Power shall cleanse thee!**

That declaration sent every Exorcist scrambling into action. Each and every one of them knew that it was every man for himself and began their attempt to escape, along with Valper. Their mad dash to an exit was halted by Power's booming voice.

 **It's useless. You can never run away from the light of Heaven.**

 **Makougaon!**

Twin helixes of light fell from the Heavens, twisting and turning around each other as they struck each Exorcist in the room along with Valper, who howled in pain the moment the light connected. The Exorcists merely gritted their teeth, having trained to withstand such pain. Akira had to applaud them. This was his strongest Bless skill, apart from Divine Judgement and his Hama skills.

As he freed Irina, the last person and laid her on the cold hard ground, he figured that Power's playtime was up. "Enough, Power." Nodding his head, the angel vanished in a flash of blue flames and returned to the Sea of Souls. "Ishtar."

Ishtar was going to be needed to heal the wounds of everyone, especially given the fact that the devils seemed to be suffering from near lethal light poisoning. Ishtar was also one to never take too long to perform her duties, unlike Cybele who had her yandere tendencies.

Ishtar appeared, knowing what she had to do, seeing the bodies in front of her. Akira knew that despite her having several domains, she treasured life the most, with love next. After all, life couldn't exist without giving proper care and love to nurture it. Thus, all life was precious to her, regardless of race or religion. **"Salvation."** Akira watched as the cuts began to close and fade. It was a magical thing, watching Ishtar's skill in healing magic take effect.

As the healing was done, he called out another command. Ishtar simply waved her hands as she called out her next spell. **"Thunder Reign."** A spear flew down from the sky, breaking through the church roof and impaling itself on the ground, before lightning surged through the spear, flowing through the ground and shocking every enemy present. Akira had made sure to power down the attack in exchange for a wide area of effect so that it didn't kill the Exorcists, plus Valper had a lot to answer for. He didn't dare use any other lightning skill here, for Wild Thunder would kill them and the weaker Zio spells would not be able to fully incapacitate his enemies.

"W-what happened?" Kiba groaned, rubbing his head as he woke up. Akira made an audible sigh, which forced everyone to look up.

"You couldn't wait for some back up huh? Impatience will only get you killed." Akira complained, watching as the others slowly began to stand up unsteadily, taking in the sight of Valper and the Exorcists all strewn on the ground.

"So... what do we do with them?" Issei asked. Wordlessly, Akira handed Kiba his pistol. He gestured to Valper, who had fell onto the floor after Ishtar's lightning shocking him fully, leaving him temporarily paralysed.

"All yours." He simply stated, watching as Kiba began to approach Valper, who couldn't even squirm or shiver in fear under Kiba's glare. He placed a hand in front of Xenovia, who was about to intervene. "He needs to do this."

"Valper Gallei. I should kill you, for all the lives that you've ruined. From that day I escaped, I swore to have your head at all costs and to destroy the Excalibur Fragments." Kiba snarled, pointing the pistol at his head. "But, it would be useless afterwards. It can still never bring back my friends." His stance softened, dropping the pistol as he brought out a shard of something that seemed to be glowing. "I believe that it would be better if you were brought to justice more than anything else. I won't kill you. My friends wouldn't have wanted me to do it as well." He laughed bitterly, clutching the gem tightly as it began to glow while tears began to stream from his eyes.

"It's alright..."

"We'll always be with you!"

"Move on."

"Don't worry about us..."

The shard began to glow, as Akira could hazard a guess on what was happening. More tears began to stream down Kiba's face as he heard the voices of his comrades, ushering him to move forth and leave his past. He was still too hung on the past, which prevented his block. But now, that ordeal was over. The result was "Balance Break: Sword of the Betrayer." Kiba declared, holding a new sword instead of the shard. Akira's pistol thankfully laid on the ground, unharmed.

In a way, the sword reminded him of the Tyrant Pistol. Both seemed to have contradicting elements inside of it, but held different themes. The pistol was the nature of beauty and ugliness, while the sword had light and demonic energies running through it. Both natures definitely contradicted each other, yet they were existent in a single form, which should have been impossible by right. He could understand the Tyrant Pistol, because it represented Lucifer's fall from grace and beauty to a twisted demonic being. The sword was another matter that he would have to look into.

"Beautiful... How can two contradicting elements exist within a single object?" Irina muttered, loud enough for everyone to hear. Akira had to agree. The light that surrounded the blade with demonic power shouldn't be possible. "Shouldn't the Lord have corrected this?" Akira's heart leapt at that statement, knowing the truth behind God.

"There's no use thinking about it. What's done is done, and we have to make sure that the Church gets them." He gestured to all the Exorcists and Valper, who were all lying on the ground, still shocked by the lightning.

"You're right." Nodding their heads, everyone began to get to work, carrying the Exorcists while Irina began retrieving the shards found on the second floor of the Church.

"Say, Akira-senpai. How did you summon that angel?" Issei asked, hauling several Exorcists thanks to him Boosting his strength in order to do so.

"I would like to know that as well." Xenovia added. "How exactly did you manage to summon one of the Lord's servants?"

"It's- It's my power." He paused before responding, carrying two Exorcists as they began making their way back to the school. Issei nodded his head in understanding.

"And what exactly is that power? I've never seen nor heard anything like that before." Xenovia admitted, shifting the Exorcist that she was carrying to make it easier for her to carry. "And whoever you summoned to make our wounds better, it also restored our energy to the point where it felt like we were at our peak. I've never heard of someone with such potent healing skill before."

"Her healing skills are that good." Akira responded. It wasn't a lie, given Ishtar's skill.

"I see. You would make a fine Exorcist. Would you like to join the church?"

"No." The question by Xenovia was shot down almost immediately. "I fight for humanity, but I have seen the impurity that lies within the Church. I won't fight for them, I can assure you that, or for any other faction for that matter."

"Impurity?" Xenovia questioned curiously.

"I have seen the hearts of humans, corrupted by sin. The people of the Church are no different. Trust me, you would detach yourself from that organisation once you see what I've seen. It's sickening." Akira spoke softly.

"How does it look like?" Akira didn't like Xenovia's probing, he was afraid of giving out major details by accident.

"Honestly speaking, there are no proper words to describe it. I don't think I could describe it even if I tried." Akira ended the conversation with a tone of finality, making sure that no one else spoke about that matter.

"I see." Xenovia responded, obviously not happy with the amount of information that she got from Akira. Though, he could almost feel the seeds of doubt that had been planted into her heart now beginning to flourish and grow.

 _Night, ORC Clubroom_

Akira took one good look at Rias and figured that she was mad. Well, she certainly did have the right to be mad. Her peerage except for Akeno had used themselves as bait to find Valper, got caught in an ambush, injured and had to have someone outside of her peerage rescue them. The bonus? The two Exorcists had been all caught up in the same situation as them.

Akira could understand, Rias would have to give an explanation to the Church to satisfy them if the Exorcists turned up dead or missing, but given their holier than thou attitude, they would never be satisfied, especially when one of the Exorcist had Durandal on them. However, even she would have to admit that there were some benefits that came out of the matter.

Kiba's Balance Breaker, a sword that seemed to be capable of inflicting light damage unto an enemy, while not harming its wielder. Quite the irony, given how Kiba was a devil. The other benefit was retrieving most of the shards, along with Valper and his goons. Excalibur Rapidly and Nightmare had been retrieved, making it such that two of three shards had been retrieved. The last shard was probably still with Kokabiel, kept for some sort of insurance. Akira didn't know what to think.

Valper would be handed to the Church, judged by the law along with his goons. Akira could tell that his days were numbered, something that was obvious to Valper's knowledge as well given his non existent screams of protest as he was being held in the ORC with seals.

Akira watched as Rias analysed Kiba's sword with morbid fascination. Indeed, it was one of a kind, something that only Kiba's Sword Birth could produce. The light from it was mesmerising, even though the demonic energies in the middle sort of ruined it. Still, it was a weapon to be adored at, and Yusuke would have a lot to talk about this sword as well.

"Very well. I can't refute your success. However, you still need to be punished for disobeying orders." Akira walked off, having no desire to see how Rias punished her peerage, following Xenovia and Irina out of the room. As a flash of blue flames came forth, he was once again in his sleeping clothes, just a pair of long grey pants coupled with a black T-shirt.

"Woah." Irina muttered.

"It's part of my power." Akira explained, seeing stars in Irina's eyes.

"What sort of power is that? It... looks so mysterious and intriguing, but simply powerful at the same time."

Akira laughed bitterly, surprising the two girls. "Power always comes with a price, no matter how big or small it is. When I first got it, I believed that I was changing the hearts of people for the better, but turns out that it was some false God trying to subjugate the masses. My powers were just some stupid form of amusement to him, a mere minor project ready to be discarded at a moment's notice."

"Then what happened? You obviously wouldn't be standing here had you been defeated."

"His project backfired against him. He underestimated my powers and paid the price for such a minor yet costly mistake." Akira's vague explanation disappointed the two of them. It seemed that they were hoping for more information than that. "The Arcana proved him wrong." He added as a hint. It was true, his friends and confidants each represented an Arcana, the power of bonds proving too strong even for Yaldabaoth.

"Arcana? Are they part of the tarot deck?"

"Yes. There are 22 major Arcana and 56 minor ones. The major ones are the most important ones. They consist of the Fool, Magician, Priestess, Empress, Emperor, Hierophant, Lovers, Chariot, Strength, Hermit, Wheel of Fortune, Justice, Hanged Man, Death, Temperance, Devil, Tower, Star, Moon, Sun, Judgement and World. They each all have a different meaning. Some say that 'The Arcana is by the means which all is revealed'."

"That's deep."

"Everything has a deeper meaning behind it, whether you like it or not."

"So you're quoting people now?" Xenovia asked sardonically.

"I learnt it through experience. Take Paradise Lost for example. This dagger of mine, it was said to be able to make angels fall." Ignoring the gasps from Xenovia and Irina, he continued on. "However, since I haven't fought an angel yet, I won't take it for real. Plus, the origins behind this weapon is something that I have yet to discover. Was it forged by human hands? Was it created by a supernatural being on a whim? I still don't have those answers yet." Paradise Lost was a mystery, even to him. However, it was one that he intended to crack.

"So without the origins of the sword or any proof, you're still going to not believe what it can do?"

"Precisely."

As he parted ways with Xenovia and Irina, he looked up at the sky. It was a starry night, a rare sight given how light pollution had affected the visibility of stars at night. Raising his hand towards the sky before clenching it into a fist, he realised something. There were times when he wished to be like the stars, free and away from any trouble. But running away wasn't the solution. It never was. Sighing, he put his hand down as he continued gazing at the stars, longing for some form of freedom once more.

He frowned as he realised that tomorrow was a Saturday, which meant that there was school. But Sona couldn't fault him for missing a day right? He was after all, a human who didn't have unlimited stamina and required rest. Hopefully she would understand his plight. Hopefully.

 _Saturday Afternoon, Kuoh_

Akira found himself in a park, testing out a new concept that one of his Personae had suggested. If it worked, it would simply open a window of opportunity into a realm of possibilities. He couldn't help but think of the benefits of such a skill, if it even worked. **"Imagine the one thing that crystallises our legends, solidify it, and slowly coax it out."**

That was the current advice given to him, as suggested by Arsene. He was currently attempting to summon the twin swords that Ose wielded. Since he was of the Fool Arcana, Akira had been hoping for success but no such luck. It had been the past hour since he began this, yet he was no closer to success. **"Perhaps you need to fully understand what you're summoning, to be able to summon our weapons. Weapons are different from people, but you're thinking of summoning them like you summon us. Perhaps that is why you are unsuccessful?"** Chi You suggested.

"That would make sense." Akira agreed. Weapons did not necessarily represent an major or minor Arcana. But if Chi You's hypothesis was correct, it meant that he would need to have a different mind set when summoning different weapons. **"Oh, oh! I got it! Each weapon has a purpose, like my lantern which lights up a path when needed. Maybe you need to summon them with a purpose in mind?"** Jack O Lantern exclaimed.

 **"For once, it seems that you have some semblance of a brain."**

 **"Hey! I take offence to that!"** Akira very much wanted to facepalm as Jack Frost and Jack O Lantern once again began their quarrel of the day.

"A purpose in mind?" Ose's twin swords, they were used to butcher the enemies before him, always merciless in his work and never having any regrets. He figured that it would be wise to not try and summon those swords anymore. Perhaps something more tame? **"Maybe Gae Bolg?"**

Akira frowned, hearing Oberon's suggestion, before realising what Oberon meant. Gae Bolg had two different parts to it. One was the Barbed Spear that Pierces with Death, as Cu Chulainn himself had once quoted. It caused a casualty reversal with the logic of 'The heart has been pierced, so the spear must be swung.' The other was the Soaring Spear that Strikes with Death. It was capable of mutiplying itself when thrown, causing a large area of effect. If he had to hazard a guess, Oberon wanted him to try and summon this second faucet of Gae Bolg with the intend to defend rather than the other aspect with the intent to kill. It was understandable, since Gae Bolg had been once picked up to defend Ireland by Cu Chulainn himself.

 **"Most impressive. As usual, you always understand what I mean. Though, I suggest you do it soon."** His face morphed into a frown again as he heard Oberon's words. Concentrating, he put his hand out, imagining a spear, one that was willing to be used by him to defend, rather than for killing.

 **"Erm, I hate to break it to you, but if you don't do it soon, you should really move to your right."** Pixie piped up shyly. Akira gritted his teeth, he just needed some form of trigger to be able to get it right. He could feel it, it was just beyond his grasp and he needed something to push it over the edge such that he could take it.

"Die!" His instincts kicked in as a blood red spear materialised in his hands and he swung it, to deflect his attacker's spear which had been aiming straight for his heart. The first thing he noticed was the weight of the spear. It was ridiculously light, so light that he could lift it with a single hand and maneuverer it just like Paradise Lost. His attacker had obviously not been expecting a spear to appear out of nowhere to block her attack and Akira could see the surprise on her face. "What?!"

Taking advantage of it, he quickly pressed forth, swinging the spear with one hand as he tried for a clumsy stab that somehow managed to strike its intended target. It did not pierce his heart or anything, but it left a shallow cut on his attacker's arm. Jumping back, he quickly analysed his attacker. An eight winged fallen angel, by the looks of it. This was going to be a tougher opponent than usual, by the looks of it. "Who are you? Why are you after me?" He asked.

"You are not worthy to know my name, foolish mortal! Now, die!" Akira leapt a few steps back as light spears rained upon the place where he had been standing a mere moment ago. Had his reflexes not kicked in, it might have been the end of him. Quickly processing the fact that the fallen wasn't in front of him, he braced himself, before managing to swing the spear upwards to block an attack from a light spear, that seemed to be glowing brighter as each second passed in the deadlock. Realising what it was, he quickly broke off the deadlock, leaping back just as the fallen did, leaving the light spear in the middle to explode in a shower of light. "You have good reflexes. For a mortal, that is. Know your place!"

Akira gritted his teeth as the fallen angel took advantage of his blinding speed to continuously land blow after blow on him. Had it not been for Gae Bolg's featherlike weight, Akira was sure that he would have died long ago. He was here, fighting an angel that had experience that transcended his measly one year's worth. He needed something to help him regain some ground. He was being pushed back by the fallen, being backed into a corner. If this went on, he would surely die.

"Baal!" He declared. The Cannan God appeared behind him, stabbing his free hand towards the fallen. **"Panta Rhei!** " Twin blades of wind flew from the sky, slicing their way towards the fallen angel and pushing her back. Hearing the groan of pain from the fallen was more than enough for him to quickly dismiss Baal. "Ongyo-Ki! **Heat Riser!** " As he received the buffs in time, he quickly blocked another attempt for his life with Gae Bolg, dismissing the Oni.

"Hmm?" The enemy's curiousity was perked by his abilities. "Hmph. No matter, this park will still be your burial ground." Dimissing it, Akira was charged again. This time however, he was able to match the strength of the fallen angel's blow though his speed was still subpar when compared. Something else was needed, and Gae Bolg wasn't going to fully cut it. Sure, it was a good weapon but he highly doubted that the multiplication of spears would do enough damage to get her to stop, only delaying for a bit at most.

Paradise Lost and Nataraja were both still in his bag, and the eight winged was blocking the path to it. If he could get his gun, he might be able to create an opening for him to abuse. However, given the speed of this fallen, it seemed unlikely that he would be able to reach the bag. "What's wrong? Finally decided to stay still and let me kill you?" She taunted, before dashing forth, one light spear in hand. If Akira had to guess, she had just upped her game. This wasn't good. Pushing her back with his new found strength, he quickly analysed his options.

"Why are you after me?" He asked again, hoping to distract her a bit until he could fully formulate an impromptu plan.

"Why, you ask? It's simple. I don't see what Lord Kokabiel sees in you. I see only another mere mortal amongst the ignorant masses." She responded hotly, readying herself.

"Yet I'm able to keep up with you." He responded.

"You're barely able to do so, even with that spear of yours." She responded. "Still, I must applaud you for being able to keep up with me. Few have ever been able to survive my onslaught for this long, much less suffer so few injuries."

"Thanks. Though, it seems that I'm heavily outclassed here in terms of speed at the very least." He remarked.

"Acknowledging your own weaknesses? I see that you are a humble one. Perhaps... perhaps you are different from the others." Her gaze softened as she light the light spears dissipate. Still, his grip on Gae Bolg did not loosen. "I have decided. I shall let you live for another day. Farewell, mortal. We shall meet again." There was a hint of grudging respect in her tone as she spread her wings and flew off to God knows where.

"That was weird." He spoke out loud, as Gae Bolg faded, returning back into the Sea of Souls. It seemed that partial summoning had worked, and it was thankfully less taxing than summoning Personae. He would need to do more practice and experimenting, but it had been a success.

"High Pixie! Diarama!" As he felt the magic do its work, he thought back to the battle he had earlier. He had managed to successfully summon a weapon, but it left him exposed to risk. Plus, that woman was strong. Seriously strong. He did not doubt for a second that even then, she had been holding back. She was an eight winged fallen angel after all.

???? POV

She observed the boy carefully as he summoned a Pixie to heal him. A High Pixie to be precise. Their pride was a fickle thing, so why would a High Pixie help him? It was questionable. She had to admit, thee boy intrigued her a lot. There was something mysterious about him that just made her want to discover him more, hidden under the facade of a normal, plain highschooler.

That spear, it was certainly interesting as well. Being summoned out of nowhere, she would have guessed it to be the True Longinus, if it wasn't for the blood red colour of the spear along with the controlled bloodlust that seemed to be retsrained by something.

"How intriguing.." His summons were interesting, to say the least. Baal, the Cannan God of Fertility and consort to the Goddess Anat. Ongyo-Ki, said to have invented ninjutsu. Those two were well known mythological figures, and the boy had managed to summon them. It was definitely worth looking into, given how that kind of power could easily turn the tides against her should he have more summons.

Maybe. Just maybe. Had Lord Kokabiel been right? Was he the saviour that humanity needed? Could he do what no one could? Only time would tell. She watched Akira Kurusu leave the park, having deemed the place too dangerous to stay any longer. As she spread her wings, she flew off, but not before sneaking one last glance at Akira Kurusu. "Akira Kurusu, huh?" She spoke, savouring the name. Without realising it, a soft smile graced her beautiful features as she repeated the boy's name.

 **A/N: Well, that concludes this chapter. Just wanted to let you guys know that my updating schedule will become irregular, because I have a part time job now. So, it may not be once a week or so. I'm sorry, and I will try my best to dish out chapters as fast as possible.**

 **I just wanna say, thanks for the support that's been shown so far. Eleven chapters in, and I've gotten more favourites on my story than I could ever imagine. Thanks for the support, and love you guys!**

 **Listened to Just dance by Pegboard Nerds ft Tia Simone, Body Moving by Stonebank ft Whizz Kid and Alarm by Lookas Krewella for this chapter.**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Unshaken Resolve

 _Time frames and locations_

 **Persona Skills and Speech**

[Dragon Speech]

POVs

 _Saturday Evening, Issei's Home_

Issei's POV

Issei laid on his bed, staring at the whitewashed celling of his room. [You're thinking about it, aren't you?] Ddraig spoke up, his gauntlet manifesting.

"Yeah." Issei responded back, before sighing as he clenched his fist. "I mean, I trained so much, yet I was still helpless when the Exorcists ambushed us. I should have been able to do something!" He smashed his fist against the wall as he sat up, causing a small dent but took no notice of it.

[Normally, this is the time when I would agree with you and ask you to do something about it. But it still serves as a lesson. Know your limits.] Lying back down on the wall, he began to think about Ddraig's words. The Exorcists had overwhelmed them with tactics and numbers, choosing to ambush both him and Koneko first. Perhaps, had they chosen to wait for Akira, would the outcome have been different?

Most likely, given how his senpai had so easily wiped the floor with the Exorcists before healing them like it was nothing. He had caused trouble for his King, given his suggestion to immediately charge in instead of waiting for Akira to show up. It was indeed foolish of him to walk straight into such a painfully obvious ambush without any form of backup. [Glad you know your faults. Now, what are you going to do about it?]

"I am going to need some time to think." Issei admitted. "But I'll come up with an answer eventually."

[I hope you do, and soon, because the storm hasn't blown over yet.] That sounded like an ill omen, but he wasn't going to be a coward and hide away from trouble any longer. As he pulled out his phone, he responded and further steeled his resolve.

"We'll just have to weather it then, Ddraig" If the dragon had an actual form, there would be a large grin on his face as he spoke back.

[Of course, Partner.]

???? POV

"Welcome... to the Velvet Room."

Akira's POV

After that fiasco with that unknown fallen angel, he had decided to stay home for the rest of the day and scout for some place for him to develop his newfound skill through the internet. That plan had been shattered when his parents appeared on his doorstep without any warning.

As soon as the knock on the door was heard, he could easily guess that it was his parents. There were a few obvious signs that gave it away. First was the fact that no one else but Sona, Akeno and Rias knew his address, given how he had not told a single soul. Secondly, Sona would be busy, given how it was a school day and Rias and Akeno still had their devil duties to adhere to. Sighing, he got up to open the door, ready to face the menace that was his parents.

He wasn't necessarily afraid of them, but rather afraid of dragging them into his mess. The Kokabiel issue had not been resolved yet, and there might be the occasional unwanted guest trying to recruit him, or maybe use his parents as a bargaining chip.

As he opened the door, he was greeted by his mother tackling him in her high heels. How was it possible, Akira didn't even know. "It's been forever, my beloved son!" His father watched emotionlessly as his mother continued trapping their son in a bear hug.

His mother was pretty, even he had to admit that. She was the kind of woman who had both the brains and a body to kill for to go along with it. Standing at a height of 5'6, Akemi Kurusu might be shorter than Akira but she nearly made up for it with her 3 inch high heels. His father, Giichi Kurusu was a different story, standing at his height of height of 5'10. He was one who radiated authority and power, given his stern face that came along with his ability to tower over many of his employees.

"Kaa-san. Tou-san." He greeted, as his mother finally broke off the hug, albeit unwillingly. His father's stern expression softened upon being greeted.

"I hope you're doing well?" Akira nodded at his father's question, though he was surprised by his father asking the first question. It was always his mother first after all.

"It's been well. Though, I somewhat missed the friends I made at Shujin." He admitted.

"What sort of friends did you make there? Perhaps you had a relationship there?" His mother leaned forth, eager to hear her son's exploits.

"I didn't have a relationship, Kaa-san. Who in their right mind would want to date a criminal?" Akira lied through his teeth, as they all took seats on the sofa while Akira poured some coffee for them.

"I don't know about that, but I heard that girls like bad boys and you would have certainly fit the bill." She smirked impishly, while his father gained a faint blush on his face. He could not help but gape at that.

"Tha-That's how you and Tou-san got together?" He stuttered, not being able to picture his father, an authoritarian figure who stuck by the rules being a bad boy of sorts in his teenage years. He simply couldn't wrap his mind around it.

"Indeed, and it was how he captured my heart! But enough of that, you still have yet to answer my question." It seemed that his mother was going to press on that matter until he gave her a satisfactory answer.

"I told you, Kaa-san. I don't have a relationship. Though, I did make some rather intriguing friends."

"Mind telling me? Perhaps a female one?" Akira pinched his nose, his mother was always out to get dirt on him no matter what.

"Fine. The first friend I made was a boy named Ryuji Sakamoto. He might be brash at times, but still a good person at heart."

"No others?" Her smirk was back on her face with an even greater force than before. His father merely smiled in amusement, seeing how his son was slowly becoming uncomfortable.

"The second was Ann Takamaki."

"And how did you meet such a girl?" Akira sweated profusely, remembering how he chased Ann through Shibuya station just to talk to her about Kamoshida's abuses. He could swear that his mother's eyes just glinted, as if she had just stumbled upon something very rare.

"We were classmates." He went for something more mild.

"That's kind of dull. I was hoping for more, you know like saving her from something." Akira very much wanted to kill himself right there, given what his mother said was true, in a way. He had technically saved Ann by giving her the will and courage to fight back against Shadow Kamoshida.

"Enough, Akemi. You're making him uncomfortable." He shot his father a grateful look. "You sure know how to make coffee." He commented, swirling his cup around.

"Sojiro taught me."

"No Sojiro-san or Sakura-san? That's interesting." His father raised an eyebrow, expecting an answer.

"It started off with me helping Sojiro in the cafe, then he just sort of became a father figure to me since you weren't around." The words came tumbling out even before he could control his k9uth. Damm it, he needed to really control his mouth properly at times and have some tact.

"I see." His tone was clipped. "Regardless, it's still good to see you again, Akira." As his father walked off into the spare room, his mother spoke up once more.

"Don't worry about your father, he's always like that. What you need to worry now is the event. I hope you got your suit ready, because it's tomorrow night." Akira nodded his head. Despite all that had happened so far, he managed to get his suit ready, the same suit he wore to Rias' victory celebration. A simple two piece suit black suit, with a black and white striped tie paired along with it.

"Yes, Kaa-san."

"Good." With that word, she left the living room, but not before taking the cup of coffee with her. Akira leaned back against the sofa, feeling mentally drained from his mother's grilling.

"Well, it can't get any worse than this, right?" Little did he know that he would soon regret those words to come and at the same time learn an extremely valuable lesson. Never, ever try to tempt fate because it will find a way to screw you up.

 _Sunday Evening, Kuoh_

Akira found himself sitting in an extremely posh restaurant, at his parents' insistence that they eat at such a place. Honestly, even he had to admit that they had pretty good deals here for such a restaurant. A Wagyu Ribeye Steak for 60,000 yen, that was some serious value there. One hundred grams of Wagyu alone could easily be given that price tag, maybe even more if the people selling wanted to make crazy profits.

As he finished the last bit of his steak, he noticed his parents still eating at a snail's pace, only halfway through or so in their food. He could understand the relaxed manner, given how it was only 5.30 or so, while the event wouldn't start till 8. His parents or more specifically, his mother had suggested getting food and his father had agreed willingly to it. Almost too willingly. It seemed that his mother had her thumb wrapped around his father.

His mind began to wonder off as he waited for them, thinking about yesterday's encounter. It was like an omen of things to come, and it certainly wasn't a good one. Still, he would stand by his conviction and defy fate itself, if need be. He had defied the fate that Yaldabaoth meant for him and he would do so again in a heartbeat.

That fallen angel he had fought, it reminded him of his mortality and weakness. It just showed him his powerlessness against such a foe, whose experience fighting dwarfed his. It was like comparing a matchstick against a sun. There would be no contest at all. Yet, he was spared because of some reason that no one but her knew. He could have been easily defeated, all the fallen angel had to do was to wear him down, he didn't have stamina that could match up to her speed and Gae Bolg would have only done him a small favour by delaying the inevitable. His Personae wouldn't have done much if she got one lucky shot in. Hell, only Ongyo-Ki could probably keep up to her speed. Yet, he had been allowed to stay alive. It was kind of pathetic, to him as he knew that the fallen angel was merely toying with him, nothing more. "Memento Mori huh?" He murmured Igor's words ever so softly, no one but his Personae heard those words.

"Akira?" He quickly focused himself back to reality, hearing his mother call him. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah." He didn't want to worry his mother more than he already had. Her voice was full of concern. "Just nervous."

"Just relax, mingle and talk to people that interest you." She advised. What she didn't know however, was that Akira had attended an event similar to the one they were going to, except that this one did not have beings who had magic at their fingertips. He gave a faint smile, perhaps he would meet some interesting people.

As his parents continued eating their food, Akira found his phone buzzing. Futaba had sent a video of something to him, along with a short message. "I couldn't take everything in this video, so it might be fuzzy." Deciding that it was better to play the video after the conference, he kept his phone in the pocket of his suit. Tonight would be a really bad night to be attacked, given how he only brought Nataraja. It was the only thing small enough to be kept hidden without it being noticed by his parents. Well, he could try to summon Gae Bolg when attacked, but that was it.

He hadn't had the opportunity to try summoning other weapons, like Laevateinn or Gungnir ever since his parents came. He may not be the most proficient with weapons, but he was a Trickster who could easily improvise, adapt to the situation and overcome his enemies. Plus, he always had the aid of his Personae.

 **"Something's not right."** Ongyo-Ki spoke up. **"I've been focusing on my senses, but something seems to be amiss. Like, there is a certain emptiness where someone or something should be, and it is right in this room. It is an anomaly of sorts that shouldn't even exist in nature."** Akira swiftly turned his head, never doubting Ongyo-Ki's words given his mastery in Senjutsu, scanning for any possible threats. His heart nearly leapt out of its position when he saw the familiar black, slightly tattered robes that always was on the person that he had met, twice in his life. He stared at the man's face, which had a small smile. With a single hand gesture, he walked out of the restaurant.

"Kaa-san, Tou-san, I'm going out for some fresh air." Nodding their heads, Akira quickly exited the restaurant, to find a lone Kokabiel leaning against the railing facing a small river. Seeing no other choice, he joined Kokabiel.

"Akira Kurusu." He greeted sharply.

"Kokabiel." He responded.

"It seems that you were able to find me this time. How?"

"A Trickster never reveals his secrets." He gave a small smirk at the answer as Kokabiel laughed it off.

"It seems that you are a man of many secrets, no?"

"That I am." He quipped.

"I wonder. How long will this peace last?" Kokabiel shifted the topic to a more gloomy one.

"It depends." Akira shot back.

"Honestly speaking, my time is almost up."

"Attacking the town where the sisters of two Satans live and trying to kill them is a suicidal move." Akira pointed out flatly. "Especially when said Satans are renowned siscons."

"Indeed." Kokabiel chuckled. "Even if I live the fight, the Satans will hunt me to the ends of the Earth to simply have my head. So, I would like to ask you of a favour."

"What is it?" Kokabiel was dying, he might as well grant a dying person, or fallen angel in this case his wish.

"Kill me. That is, if you can. Don't get me wrong, I won't be sitting down there and letting you kill me that easily. I will fight you, with all my power." Akira visibly swallowed, he was pretty much being challenged to another duel to the death, only this time his challenger had nothing left to lose. This just made the stakes go so up much higher. "I wonder, how much is your potential, Trickster?"

"I don't have an answer to that." He truthfully admitted. His potential had already been enough to kill a God. Summoning his Personae's weapons was already going to bring out a whole new realm of possibility and potential, and he had the feeling that it was simply the tip of the iceberg. There might be something more, just lying beyond his reach for now.

"I see." Kokabiel laughed, a genuine laugh. "Come to think of it, this might be the last time I laugh like this. I hope you do entertain me, because this is the last time we will be speaking in such a civil manner."

"True."

"I suppose this is farewell then." The mournful look on Kokabiel was evident, though there was still a smile on his face. However, it was not a happy smile, but rather the smile of a dying man. A bitter smile, as if he had been dealt a bad lot in life. Akira didn't know, but if he had to guess, things had probably went downhill for Kokabiel after he Fell.

"Farewell, Kokabiel." Akira threw a wry smile. He could potentially be dying as well, given Kokabiel's battle prowess. Come to think of it, he had been doing some stupid things in his life so far. Challenging a well known politician, using himself as bait to reveal the identity of the one ordering Akechi Goro, fighting a devil who held the title Leviathan, and now, here he was, about to take on an angel whose name had been written in the bible and held a fearsome title to boot. Would the battle with Kokabiel be his last? "Memento Mori huh?" It felt like he finally understood what Igor truly meant. Dammed old fool, speaking in riddles, be it the real or the fake. One would die, no matter what.

"The next time we meet, it will be as enemies on the battlefield." Kokabiel broke him out of his thoughts. "And only one of us will walk away alive. Try to stay alive till then." Nodding his head, he threw a small wave as Kokabiel spread his wings, flying off.

"I will, Kokabiel. That I promise." He said as he looked up to the sky, watching the already fading figure of the Star of God. Sighing, he began to type furiously into his phone. This final meeting had after all, fortified his resolve to defeat Kokabiel.

 _Event hall, Sunday Night_

Akira walked into the event hall behind his parents, sizing up number of people present in the large banquet hall. If he had to guess, there were roughly 80 to 90 people here. Perhaps it was because they were here early? The large tables that would normally be present in such a place had all been taken away, in favour of smaller ones where people could put their drinks and lean on it. Long tables of neatly plated food and cutlery to go along with it were all lined at one end of the event hall. All in all, the place had a neat and classy feel to it.

"Go on." He was ushered by his mother, before being ditched by his parents. Sighing, he approached a waitress who was handing out wine and champagne.

"Wine or champagne for you, Sir?" Nodding his head, Akira took a glass of red wine, swirling it slowly as the waitress left. He had always favoured the colours red and black for some reason, both simply seemed so enticing for some reason. Red, the colour of passion, anger and fire. Black, an emptiness void that held the potential to be filled with anything. Perhaps it was because it was similar to the Fool, which represented pretty much the same thing as well, but he didn't really know.

He soon found himself on a small balcony of the banquet hall that was rarely found in such a place, slowly sipping his wine as he leaned on the table. It might not be as good as the wine that he had in the Underworld, but it still held the property of a distinct sweetness found in aged wine. Still, there was the slight bitterness found in typical wines. If he had to guess, it was wine imported from Australia.

"It seems that you also dislike events such as this, huh?" Akira spun around, to find a grey haired boy slightly taller than him, holding a glass of red wine as well. He wore a suit, though Akira could tell that he was somewhat uncomfortable in it as well. Akira, for once was secretly glad someone else faced the same problem as him when it came to suits.

"Yeah." Akira responded as the grey haired boy placed his glass of wine on the table, shoving one hand into his pocket. "Cheers?"

"Cheers." The small smirk on the grey haired boy's face was evident as their glasses clinked together. "Name's Narukami Yu. What's yours?" For some reason, he could feel his soul resonating, but he decided to ignore it.

There seemed to be a hidden sliver of power hidden behind that name, Akira could feel it. Though, he didn't know any supernatural being by the name of Narukami Yu. "Kurusu Akira." Akira noticed that Yu's eyes narrowed ever slightly, before going back to its relaxed position. "So why are you here?"

There was the ghost of a smile on his lips as he spoke. "My parents dragged me here. I assume that you are in the same situation?"

"True. Something about building up connections." Akira rolled his eyes as he remembered his father's lecture about his event, apparently the event was going to have many well known businessmen and politicians attending. "Though, that's not the real reason why I dislike such events."

"Then why?"

"It's the amount of bootlicking that goes on in such events. Everyone who is here is hoping to gain a new connection or two, putting themselves on a higher level compared to others. The greed in such an event is simply inconceivable." Akira wanted to laugh bitterly. Oh, the irony! He used a bullet composed of the seven deadly sins to kill a God and save humanity from enslavement, and here he was, watching it unfold subtly amongst the very race he fought to save.

Yu had no words to say about the topic, choosing to continue sipping his wine while feeling the slight wind blowing his hair. "Apologies for my ranting." Akira felt the need to say it.

"No worries. I understand where you're coming from." Akira felt the wind as well, it was growing stronger slightly or was it just his imagination? Ignoring the change, the two of them faced the sky, which was the result of the sun setting. A soft, blue colour that graced the sky, white clouds shrouding and absorbing rays from the sun. A breathtaking sight, as the city lights began to flicker to life while the night life began to take over. Despite being a small town, Kuoh had its own perks, when it came to scenery.

"Yusuke would love to see this." Akira muttered. Indeed, the artist would love to capture this moment, seeing how his art tended to revolve around people and scenery.

"A friend of yours?"

"Yeah. He's an extremely talented artist." Swirling his glass again, he took another sip of the wine, feeling the wind blowing his hair. There was something wrong about the wind, but he couldn't really place it. "But he also has his own quirks." Akira continued on, placing the matter of the wind at the back of his mind. There was a nagging feeling that told him however, that it was unwise to do so. Akira chose to ignore it. Was it because of the wine or simply because he wanted to watch the scenery? He didn't know.

"Doesn't everyone?" Yu asked.

"True." Akira agreed.

As they continued sipping their wine, watching the transition of day to night, they were interrupted by a feminine voice. Akira could tell just from the voice alone that whoever was speaker was a disciplinarian , sticking to the rules seriously and took no bullshit. Much like his father, in a different way however. The voice had a hint of warmth to it, unlike his father who was stone cold. Perhaps it was because she was addressing Yu?

"I certainly didn't expect you to be here, Yu-san." Akira turned around, facing a busty red head who wore a simple red dress that paired with her pinned up red hair. She had that regal look on her, which Akira had to admit was near perfect on her.

"I found someone who shared the same views as me when it comes to this events. And just call me Yu, Mitsuru. We've known each other for quite a while now."

The now identified Mitsuru sighed. "Fine. Who is your companion here?"

"I'm Kurusu Akira. Nice to meet you in person, Kirijo-san." Akira stuck out a hand, which Mitsuru shook. During the brief handshake, Akira noticed something odd about Mitsuru's hand. Her hand was more calloused and rough like Haru's after fighting in the Metaverse. It was odd because a person such as Mitsuru who came from such a prestigious family shouldn't have such hands, unless she had fought as well. Sure, Akira had heard rumours of her taking up fencing but even fencing wouldn't do much to make hands that calloused.

She gave a genuine warm smile in return. "Nice to meet you, Kurusu-san."

"Just call me Akira. I am not my father." He responded.

"True to that, Akira-san. If I may ask, what are you doing here?"

"My parents asked me to come here. They probably want to show me off or something, given my grades and all. Though, they also wanted me to build up some connections, supposedly going to be helpful in the future."

"I see. Your parents are not wrong though."

"Formal events are not my thing." He stated plainly.

"I can tell. Otherwise, you wouldn't be hanging out with Yu."

"Don't make it sound like I'm a bad influence, Mitsuru." Akira could only chuckle at Yu who pouted. Mitsuru was indeed making Yu sound like a bad influence.

"Right. Says the one who dated several girls simultaneously." Akira snickered at the jab made by Mitsuru, though he wasn't one to talk about it.

"Anyway, we should go in now. The wind's getting stronger and there's bound to be a storm incoming." Yu tried to change the topic. However, the wind part caught his attention.

"Is something wrong, Akira-san?" Akira didn't answer, staring out at the vast sky, his attention focused on what seemed to be a black cloud moving at unreal speeds.

"It can't be.."

 **A/N: Idk how I did this chapter, I didn't think that I'll have this chapter up by today. So yeah, enjoy it and leave a comment if you want to see something or you believe that there can be some form of improvement. I'm still an amateur writer, this being my first ever story.**

 **Listened to Chin Up by Puppet ft Azuria Sky, Lose Yourself by Eminem and Downhearted by Pegboard Nerds ft Jonny Rose.**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: The Battle Begins

 _Time frames and locations_

 **Persona Skills and Speech**

[Dragon Speech]

POVs

 _Event Hall, Sunday Night_

Yu's POV

"What is that?" Yu had followed Akira's gaze, his eyes landing on a particular black cloud. It was strange, given how there were so many white clouds in the sky along with that lone black cloud. Something was wrong with that cloud however, but he couldn't place it.

"It's moving too fast." Even with the wind, such a cloud could not move that fast. Mitsuru's observation was indeed on point. But what exactly was going on? He couldn't tell, but Akira seemed to have an answer. "Akira-san. Do you know anything about that?"

"It can't be..." Akira spoke out shakily, his face a ghostly white as he dropped his empty wine glass.

"What's going o-" His own voice died down, as he finally got a good glimpse of what the supposed black cloud was. Humans, with black featherlike wings, flying together so closely, it was a mass of black as they blended in with the sky. The bad part was, each of them had wings of differing numbers. Some had two, others had six. Yet, that all paled in comparison to the one leading them, who had ten wings. "What's going on?" He found his voice to ask the question again.

"You need to move somewhere safe, now!" Akira yelled, slamming his hand on the table.

"Why?"

"Those are not people. They will slaughter anyone and everyone who crosses path with them." Yu could not help but watch with morbid fascination as a World Arcana tarot card spun down in front of Akira, with him crushing it. "Go, now!" As the card shattered, blue harmless flames cloaked Akira, before fading to reveal him in a trench coat with long black pants and a grey buttoned up shirt to go with it. Yet, the most defining feature was the white bird mask on him.

"We can't let you do this alone." Yu stated firmly, having seen the World Arcana spin in front of him once more and his resolved strengthened once more. He stretched out a hand, letting a similar tarot card fall onto his outreached hand as he crushed it, revealing a Black Frost.

"H- Dammed old fool. Always speaking in riddles." Yu heard the question being cut off, before hearing that second part.

 _Flashback_

 _"Welcome... to the Velvet Room." Yu stared into the eyes of the long nosed man._

 _"It's been a while, dearest guest." The soft yet stern voice from Margret was unmistakable, he could never forget the voice that had helped him through his journey._

 _"It's been a while, Margret, Igor."_

 _"It seems that fate has plans for you once more, Narukami Yu. May I?" Yu simply nodded his head as Igor began to shuffle the tarot cards. Pulling out five cards, Igor placed them on the table in front of him._

 _The first was one flipped. "The Magician, upright. It shows that the desired outcome is always within your grasp." The second one was flipped, and Igor's face fell. "The Tower, reversed. Fail to uncover the secrets that hide within and you shall fail. Fear not, of course as we shall help you to the best of our ability." Flipping the third card, Yu himself was surprised. "The Moon, reversed, signifying the intervention of primal forces." If he had to guess, it meant there was another God/Goddess who had a plot._

 _The fourth card was flipped. "The Judgement, upright. You shall have the truth in due time, but you need to speak up more." The last card, flipped. "The Sun, upright. You shall find success in your endeavour. In short, your success is within your grasp, but beware of the deceit that might cause you to fail. The truth is hidden by primal forces, but the answers will be found no matter what."_

 _"Thanks, Igor."_

 _"Remember this, the world is more than it meets the eye." Before he could say anything else, he found his eyelids closing, even struggling to keep them open was getting harder by the second._

 _Flashback End_

"I'm a Wild Card."

"I suppose so." Akira spoke up again and nodded his head, looking up at the sky. His next words caught Yu off guard. "I don't know about you guys, but I might die in this battle."

"What do you mean?"

"Quick crash course. That, is a full battalion of fallen angels. Angels who fell from Heaven by committing one of the seven deadly sins. Imagine a human battalion, only that they have wings and how many wings they have shows how powerful they are. Plus, they can use light spears. Be it as a melee weapon or thrown, they know no bounds. Got it so far?"

"Yeah." Nodding his head, Yu watched the battalion of fallen angels approach closer and closer. "The ten winged one, I'm going to fight him. He's Kokabiel, the Star of God."

"As in the bible?" Akira nodded his head at Mitsuru's question.

"He's challenged me to a duel to the death, and I have no choice but to accept it. If I let him do as he wishes, he's gonna cause a war that will swallow up the humans. No one will be safe from the number of races that will get involved, and certainly not humans."

"How will he cause a war?" Yu nodded at Mitsuru's logical question.

"This is where politics come in. This town, is under the jurdiscation of two devils. These two devils are the siblings of two leaders of the Underworld. Should he use a stolen shard of Excalibur which is Heaven's property to murder them, said leaders will go into a rage and crusade against Heaven. Heaven will blame fallen angels since Kokabiel managed to leave proof behind that a fallen angel was behind it. A three way war will start and every faction will be forced to take sides."

"That's messed up on a whole new level. " Yu commented, watching the battalion close the distance between Kuoh and themselves.

"Yeah. Do the two of you have any weapons?"

"I have my rapier not too far off, but Yu doesn't have any weapon."

"I thought as much. Yu, what weapon do you prefer?"

"Swords." Yu watched as Akira closed his eyes, concentrating as his mask glowed briefly before a flash of blue flames appeared on his hand, revealing two swords that were simple looking yet had a deadly edge to it.

"The swords of Minamoto no Yoshitsune. Use them wisely." Akira announced, handing over both swords while Yu's jaw hanged open. "Close your mouth, you'll catch files." Akira offhandedly commented while Yu finally closed his mouth, holding the twin swords. One was slightly shorter than the other, but both were extremely light. He gave a few practice swings, decapitating the table by accident. "These have a special function, I'll let you find out."

"So what now? I still don't think that the three of us can take on that battalion." Mitsuru asked.

"Mitsuru-san, go change. I have a plan. It involves me and Narukami. Once you finish, meet us at Kuoh Academy. That's where we'll hold the line. Find someone called Rias Gremory or Sona Shitori and tell them that you're with me." Nodding her head, Mitusuru scurried off, leaving him and Akira alone.

"So, what do we do now?"

"The plan involves the best interception attack you have. I'm going to use two Personae and thin out their ranks a bit. I'm hoping that the two of them can perform a fusion spell since they have pretty good synergy." That perked his interest.

"Fusion spell huh?" Yu was no stranger to fusion spells, having heard about it from Mitsuru herself who had watched it happen right before her very eyes.

"So far, I've used Kohryu and Seiryu and Nebiros and Bellial. The first is strong in a small area but useless here and the second will land you in the hospital. It involves setting your soul on fire."

"Sounds painful. "

"It is." Akira deadpanned. "Use whatever you think is good, and just try to thin out their ranks. If you are fighting an eight winged fallen, be careful." Yu nodded his head, twirling the swords. He would never have thought that he would be fighting in a dual wield fashion like Sho, but here he was, about to do so.

"Let's go then." Yu spoke up, and both of them leapt off the second floor balcony onto the ground, running towards a proper vantage point to began their sniping.

Sojiro's POV

"Hey, Sakura-san. Where's the kid helping you?" His customer, sipping a brew of blue mountain coffee asked.

"He's gone to Kuoh. Parents asked him to transfer." Sojiro grunted, missing the black haired boy who would help him with Leblanc whenever he was free. Now, he was struggling with the influx of customers that appeared out of nowhere to enjoy a good cup of coffee. Maybe he would have to hire a part time helper soon.

"That's disappointing. That kid's a good listener."

His phone buzzed. Sojiro's eyebrow raised at that, he never really received texts from anyone but Futaba and even that was once in a blue moon. Sighing, he pulled out his phone. He tapped the IM icon and found a long text by none other than the boy he was thinking of.

 _Hey, Sojiro. I don't really know how to start this, but by the time you're reading this, I'm probably already doing something extremely stupid or have already done so. Also, this stupid thing also may or may not involve me having a 50/50 chance of dying._

"What?" Before he could stop himself, the word already left his mouth.

"Is there anything wrong, Sakura-san?" His customer looked up from his cup of coffee.

"No, nothing's wrong." Sighing, he continued reading the text.

 _To explain what exactly I'm doing, it's best that you never tell this to anyone but my friends. First of all, you need to understand something. Please, try not to be surprised by what you're about to read. After all, we already did the impossible by changing Shido's heart and defeating a God._

Sojiro frowned at the text. What could possibly be so important that he would have to keep his lips sealed, and not be surprised at it?

 _Every myth is true. Every single myth. Be it the Biblical creatures of angels and devils, the Shinto Gods or even youkai, they are all true._

Sojiro was surprised, but managed to keep his reaction bottled up.

 _Now, these myths should be taken with a grain of salt, to prevent confusion. The major myths that I'm going to talk about now are the fallen angels, angels and devils. I'm sure you know what they are. Angels have a different number of wings to show their different power levels, with Seraph or twelve wings being the strongest. Fallen angels use the same system in the sense that their power levels are determined by the number of wings they have except that they have different names for the ranks. As for devils, they have a humanlike appearance, but some have something called a true form and there are seventy two pillars, just like in the Ars Goetia. If you want the specifics, I'm sure that Futaba will be glad to provide it._

 _Now, the reason why I might die is because a battalion of fallen angels are going to invade Kuoh and they have a ten winged fallen angel or a Cadre leading them. This ten winged fallen angel goes by the name of Kokabiel, the Star of God as in the Bible. It all started back after the defeat of Yaldabaoth, when he discovered my identity as a Trickster. Apparently, Tricksters are an oddity amongst humans and no supernatural creature has spotted one before. Kokabiel however managed to track me down, and he has asked me to make a choice._

 _His plan was to start a war, one to bring out humanity's potential as he wanted to see God's will fulfilled. He's doing this because of the fact that God's dead._

Sojiro bit his lip to prevent himself from shouting in surprise once again before reading on.

 _However, since he spotted me, he has forced me to make a decision. Let him start a war to draw out humanity's true potential by forcing them to evolve and adapt to survive a war against all mythological races or I fight him to show humanity's potential. As you may have guessed, I've chosen the latter. After all, they say "Ignorance is Bliss."_

 _I believe that humanity is not ready for such a reality to be shown to them, thus I've decided to face Kokabiel and his battalion of fallen angels. Don't worry, I won't be fighting alone. After all, I have many masks. Still, this does not stop the fact that I might die. Kokabiel has challenged me to a death fight, which I will not run away from. Even if I die, Kokabiel will go down with me._

 _There will be two possible outcomes. One, Kokabiel dies and I live, but I will be fighting for my life in a hospital most likely. Kokabiel has experience that transcends mine, and I do not believe that I can win the fight without serious injuries. After all, a person's the most dangerous when he has nothing left to lose. Kokabiel is no exception._

 _The second outcome is Kokabiel dies and I die as well. This is also possible. I still have a trump card if it ever comes down to that. In that case that this happens, I hope that you will forgive me for making such a decision. First of all, if I die, please tell Ann, Makoto, Futaba and Haru that I'm sorry. They'll know what I mean. Secondly, please thank Ryuji for me for being my first ever friend at Shujin Academy when I first arrived. Thirdly, I have a favour to ask of you. It may sound selfish, but please take care of Morgana in my stead. Fourth, tell Yusuke that I hope that he will continue to mature, as his art does as well._

 _To end it all off, I have a message attached to all the people I met in Tokyo. Please give it to them, they should also have the right to know what I've done. Last but not least, thanks for giving me a home when I needed one most and for being a father figure to me. Words cannot express how grateful I am, or how eternally grateful I will be even in the afterlife. As such, I will be entrusting you with my bank accounts, which contain ten million yen each if I die. Take care, Sojiro._

 _-Akira Kurusu_

 _PS: If you don't hear from me within two days, go to Kuoh Academy in Kuoh and find someone called Souna Shitori. Her real name is Sona Sitri, but try to use her alias as she is a devil. I'm sure she will inform you of my situation._

"That kid..." Sojiro bit his lip, before dialling Futaba's number while walking to the front door. Thankfully the customer had left, today being a slow Sunday night. He was going to need Leblanc vacated for some guests.

Issei's POV

"We've evacuated the humans, but I doubt that we are going to receive reinforcements anytime soon. Your brother won't make it in time, neither will my sister." Issei watched the impromptu meeting happen right before their eyes. They were all geared to the best of their ability, but they were severely outnumbered.

"We'll just have to hold out till reinforcements arrive then." Rias stated.

"Easier said than done. There's been sightings of two to eight winged fallen angels, with Kokabiel himself leading the front. It also seems that he holds the last fragment of the Excalibur." Sona pointed out. All of Rias' and Sona's peerage, including the two Church Exorcists were here, and that was all they had to hold the lines.

"What about Akira-senpai? Surely he can do something?" Issei stated.

"Oh." Rias muttered.

"Rias, I thought you had contacted all available parties?" Sona shoved up her glasses, glaring at her best friend who withered under the glare.

As if saving Rias, Issei's phone began to ring out loud. "It's Akira-senpai." Issei declared, before picking up the call and putting it on loud speaker for everyone to hear.

"Issei." The greeting was short. "I don't think that we'll get there in time when Kokabiel reaches the academy. Try to hold out for a few minutes, we'll be there."

"We?"

"I got a few reinforcements. It's not much but it'll work." Akira responded to the question. "Listen, there is someone called Mitsuru Kirijo on her way here as well. If she arrives before us, tell her to just hold the line. Me and Narukami will try to strike and take out some of them before coming here, but it won't amount to much. Not when there are so many of them. Any questions?"

Sona was the one to speak out. "How long more until you and Narukami-san arrive?"

"I'll say roughly fifteen minutes or so. We are currently making our way to a vantage point to snipe some of them. I can't guarantee the success of this move, it's a gamble."

"Then why are you even doing it?"

"Any good player's a gambler, right?" Sona pinched her nose. "Plus, I believe that Issei can at least hold out for a bit. As long as he doesn't get hit by too many light spears and keeps sending out his flames, it should work for a bit. Rias and Sona must be protected at all costs, otherwise this defence becomes meaningless. Good luck, everyone. They are about to reach the academy. Brace yourselves." With that, the call ended, leaving everyone to deal with the revelation that the siege was about to begin.

"This is it, then." Issei broke the silence.

"Hold out for fifteen minutes. I can live with that." Tsubasa cracked a grin.

"Yeah. If we can use the traps we set to our advantage, then it shouldn't be a problem." Nodding their heads at Kiba's suggestion, everyone got to work.

"Let's go, Ddraig." His senpai had asked him to hold out the fort. He would do it, and not fail the mission assigned to him. He could not afford to. [Boost!]

[Let's go, partner.]

Akira's POV

"I have an idea." Akira piped up, closing his phone. Yu, had been struggling to keep up, thus he reduced his speed. Was it just Yu or did other Persona users not keep themselves in shape after fighting a great threat? As far as Akira had been aware, he always kept himself in the pink of health and ready to combat whenever. Life always had a nasty surprise for you no matter what.

"What is it?"

"I've been thinking about this theory for a long time, but I never got to try it. Say if we summon two different Personae with the correct synergy, could we perform one much more powerful fusion spell? I mean, we don't have to waste that much energy in that case."

"It will work. I've seen it pulled off before." Yu affirmed. Indeed, he could never forget the synergy that Chie and Yukiko had when they pulled off their special combo, nor the sheer power and effectiveness of such an attack.

"Alright. We need a combo then. I still have not decided who to use. I was considering Shiva and Vishnu but their power is too great to even consider it. If we used them, we might level the entire place if we aren't careful."

"What do you mean?"

"To sum it up simply, Shiva is considered the fifth strongest being in the entire world. And that's saying a lot given how many beings there are. Vishnu is definitely not a pushover either, otherwise he wouldn't be given the title of 'The Preserver'."

"Cool." Yu responded, as they began running up the stairs of an apartment block. Or to be more specific, the stairs to the roof of the apartment block that he lived in. There were several reasons why Akira chose this spot. First, it was near to the academy and secondly, the height was perfect, especially when the fallen angels were about to make their descent.

"Any ideas?" Akira asked, them finally clearing the last bit of stairs to reach the rooftop. As they faced the horde that was about to come into contact with the academy, they felt the wind blow so strongly, it was unreal. His trench coat was flapping about uncontrollably.

"I don't really know. We need something to subdue them, but not strong enough to ravage the surroundings. There are probably people still evacuating. We have to minimize collateral damage." Akira nodded his head, it seemed that both Sona and Rias had been wise enough to sound the alarm for an earthquake to force an evacuation.

Twirling the Kaito Gentleman, Arsene's knife, he began to think hard. "I just had an idea. It may be quite risky, considering what I'm about to suggest."

"Well, any idea's bound to be a good one. It can't be that bad, right?" Yu asked, as a loud explosion was heard, signifying the start of the siege of Kuoh.

"Well. It is a dumb idea, but it's the only possible one that I've thought of so far. We each summon two Personae. Together, we bring out the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse." Akira explained, which earned a "really?" look from Yu. "I told you."

"Well, it's not like we have that many options. Plus, it sounds like we can do some serious damage without causing too much destruction." Yu commented. Akira pinched his nose, time to do something stupid once more, like summoning the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse at once. Granted, he would be summoning two and Yu would be summoning the other two, but still. If he left them unchecked, who knows what would happen if Death's powers went of out control. There was a reason why he always didn't equip that mask for too long. Same went with the other horsemen. War pretty much made surrounding people, even his teammates angry. He had learnt the valuable lesson of not equipping Red Rider when Makoto was around the hard way. Famine, it just made everyone hungry for food, even if they ate the Big Bang Burgers that he got from the Big Bang shop. Conquest, he had never tried and would not think doing so.

"Let's do it then." Nodding their heads, the two of them began concentrating.

"Persona!"

"Persona!"

Both cries went up, as one ripped off his mask, while the other shattered two tarot cards that had been spinning in front of him.

The first to appear, was a white stallion, it's regal gaze on Akira. On top, sat a figure who wore a crown on top of his head along with black robes which were tattered at the bottom, and held a plain wooden bow. The first Horseman, Conquest himself or White Rider. White Rider gave a salute to Akira with his bow, as the next Rider appeared. A neigh was heard as the fiery red stallion appeared in front of him, the Rider appearing next. He wore black robes, just like his counterpart. However, he held no bow nor had a crown, instead only bearing a great sword. War or Red Rider, the second Horseman of the Apocalypse. Just like Conquest, he saluted at Akira, only instead using a sword instead of a bow. It still amazed him how Red Rider was able to lift his sword with only one hand given how heavy it looked. Both of them turned to face the cloud of fallen angels had been assaulting the school, before Akira willed them to stop moving for a bit.

Meanwhile, the third horseman was summoned. This one sat upon aa black horse, and wore black robes just like the first two. Yet, he only held a pair of scales this time, but Akira knew that the scales was for something special. As he fully manifested, he used his free to salute at Yu. The Black Rider, or Famine himself, the third Horseman of the Apocalypse. Last but not least, a pale white horse burst forth into the plane of existence, it's rider sitting upon it and wearing the same black robes that the other horsemen wore. The rider himself held a scythe composed of a wooden shaft and a metal blade. He saluted at Yu once more and the four of them faced the cloud of fallen angels together. The last of the Horsemen, Death or Pale Rider itself.

 **What are our orders, Masters?**

The objective was clear, but it was obvious that the four Horsemen had restrained themselves and let Conquest do the talking. After all, he was the strongest of the four. Giving his fellow Wild Card user one look, he spoke up once more. "Sic em."

 **Very well.**

 **To battle we ride, Horsemen!**

Akira didn't know where this feeling came from, but he felt the need to say it. It seemed that the same went for Yu. "Fusion Raid: Apocalypse!" Both of them roared. As soon as those words were let out, Akira felt the wave of power wash over the area. It was addictive, he had to admit. Clearly some fallen angels felt it as the backlines turned, only to see the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse charging at them.

 **Well, well**

 **What do we have here?**

 **It seems that your sins are not in tandem with the scales**

Famine was the first to speak as the scales began to tip. One was heavier than the other, as the scales became lopsided.

 **Time to pay up!**

"Fusion Raid huh? I like the sound of that." Akira commented, while Yu merely nodded his head, watching the battle unfold.

Many of the fallen angels began to clutch their stomachs as Famine used one crooked finger to tip the scales to become even once more. If Akira had to guess, he was literally sucking out all the life from their body to pay for their sins. Some were pale already, while others began dropping like files.

 **So these claim to have fought a war?**

 **Let us see how you fare again War itself!**

War began charging in, with Death following suit. As War began to swing his sword, cutting down enemies by the tens, Death spun his scythe like a madman, drawing blood from every surrounding fallen angel as they took in their last breath of air.

 **War.**

Death called out, and the two of them nodded their heads. Hurling his scythe to War, cutting several fallen along the way, War caught it and began to spin it around.

 **They say War and Death go hand in hand.**

 **Let us see how true that is.**

Akira noticed the frightened expressions of the fallen angels, as if they had just realised who they were actually up against. Before anyone could react, War hurled the scythe into the crowd of fallen angels as Death began to chant.

 **For it is eternity that we celebrate**

 **Yet, everyone must be delivered to the same fate: Death**

 **No matter your power, wealth or strength**

 **All shall fall**

 **Thus is the principle**

 **Memento Mori**

Akira bit his lip, as an aura of death exploded from the scythe, sending chills to his bones despite the distance. Within seconds, a purplish ring of energy began to expand outwards with unreal speed, taking away the lives of those who were unable to escape.

 **That is enough.**

Conquest declared, moving forward.

 **We will end this now.**

Nodding their heads, Death summoned his scythe back, while War threw his sword towards Conquest. Catching it, Conquest nocked it like an arrow and pulled back the string of the bow. The word was more than enough to send the angels scrambling.

 **Apocalypse**

The word of power sent everyone running, as the sword began to change form. Within seconds, it was still a sword, but it was now in a spiral shape that had a wickedly sharp point. Conquest let go of the string, and the sword began to fly forth faster than Akira could see, twisting and spiralling as it made its way to the fallen angels.

As it neared with the first fallen, he had no time to even shout as the space around him _twisted_. There was literally no other way to explain it. It twisted such that his body began to twist along with it. In no way, the death of the fallen angel did not slow down the arrow/sword. As it neared the fallen angel host, War uttered a word.

 **Break**.

Akira noticed how cracks appeared on the arrow/sword, revealing a blue light underneath. The next second he knew, he was forced to close his eyes and put an arm up as the blinding explosion occurred. When he finally lowered his arm, he blanched at the sight of the scene in front of him. Every single trace of the fallen angels that had been fighting here had been annihilated. Nothing was left. Not even a feather.

 **Spatial Distortion.**

 **An extremely powerful property that comes with when I use Apocalypse Break.**

With one last salute, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse vanished, returning back to their respective sea of souls. "Well. That was a thing." Akira nodded his head dumbly, not trusting himself to speak yet.

"We took out around half their forces, I think. I'll say this was a great success." Akira commented.

"Yeah. Now we should head to the academy. No doubt Mitsuru's already there." Nodding their heads, they began making their way to the academy, with Yu summoning Unicorn as a steed while Akira began leaping over rooftops to advance forth.

 _Kuoh Academy_

Issei's POV

It wasn't going too well, per say. He had done what Akira instructed, but all he could really do was to wait for his cooldown on the fire since he couldn't spam it. He had to reign in the chaotic nature of Ddraig that came in with the flames, otherwise he would hurt others. Mitsuru Kirijo, the one that Akira had mentioned, had already arrived.

Her help was most certainly needed, given how she quickly took out several enemies with her arrival. Her regal, cold look literally screamed grace, as she took out another fallen angel with a stab of her rapier. Yet, it was all for naught as two new ones took his place. [I'll admit, you're holding out well. But soon, it won't be enough.]

"Then what do we do?"

[Remember how I told you to strengthen your bond with that Akira? It is finally beginning to manifest, though I have no idea what it will do.]

"I'll take a risk, Ddraig. We have to hold the fort."

[It's not complete, but you can take it for a test drive. Even I have no idea what it can do. It's nestled within the vestiges of your soul. Try it out.] With Ddraig's urging, Issei did some literal soul searching before finally finding what Ddraig meant. There was something that laid within his soul, just sitting there, waiting to be unleashed though it wasn't fully finished.

"Well. Here goes nothing, Ddraig." Tugging at the imaginary rope that came with it, he was about to yank it out. No one could ever possibly predict what happened next.

 **A/N: Didn't expect to finish this chapter this fast as well. So yeah, just enjoy it and as usual please leave a comment if you think it can be improved. I'm willing to take constructive feedback because I'm still an amateur when it comes to writing.**

 **Listened to Pink Clouds by Pegboard Nerds ft Max Collins, Possession by KURRO, Magic by Raizer and Malicious by Slips and Slurs.**


	14. Short update

Hey guys, this is not a chapter but a quick update. My computer is currently undergoing repair so expect a delay for a few days or so before the next chapter is up because I forgot to backup the chapter I was doing. I will try to update on my phone as well but no gurantees. Meanwhile,I will answer some questions/reviews that you guys have about this fanfic.

Guest: Yes, but I'm gonna stick with Akira Kurusu to not muck things up. It also sucks that Dancing Star Night and Dancing Moon night will only be released in Japan in April.

Richardsphere: Pretty crappy writing there, huh?

Seithr-Kairy: It all depends,honestly speaking

Midnight49: You'll see it soon enough kappa

Zuskato Zyus: I was like, why the hell not and here we are. Actually, come to think of it, I might have been drunk while writing that chapter. On vodka probably.

Shashenka: There will be a time when he has to confront his parents about that matter. He's got bigger things to worry about after all and he's not the type to share his problems with others.

Nonary Nathan 999: It's a event where people can choose to turn a blind eye to stuff like that because they consider it 'minor'. The main point of such events, like I mentioned in chapter 12 is to make connections, affirm them so underage drinking is the least of their worries.

hnh058513: It's all part of the plot.

ARSLOTHES: Maybe. I'll think about it.

TheBeatles211: I'll see what I can do about it.

gamelover41592: XD

Guest: Yeah, about the glitch. It is a thing, happening with other authors that I checked with as well. Idk whether it's still going on now but I think they fixed it. Chapters should be fully loaded now.


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: The Eight Winged Duo

 _Time frames and locations_

 **Persona Skills and Speech**

[Dragon Speech]

POVs

 _Kuoh Academy, Sunday_

Akira's POV

As he leapt through the final rooftop to reach Kuoh Academy, what he saw wasn't a pretty scene. Several blocks of the school that he attended were demolished, rubble and debris littering the ground like a wasteland. Even the old school building had not survived, it being on fire right now. He made eye contact with Yu, who had just gotten off Unicorn and dismissed it. Nodding their heads, they split up.

Yu would be cutting through their lines from the back to the front, cutting off any escape while Akira moved in to assist the devils and Mitsuru, who were most likely trying to hold the building which contained the Student Council Office.

Leaping forth undetected, he landed on the ground with a roll. So far so good, no doubt the fallen angels were obsessed with breaching the defences that kept them from reaching either Sona or Rias. First of all, he had to find defenders who were holding the line and lend aid. No doubt they were all struggling, given the sheer number of fallen angels.

Dismissing Kaito Gentleman, he began running towards the Student Council Building, having seen someone in danger. As he pulled out his mask, blue flames appeared and a spear wielding being began to manifest.

Issei's POV

If he had enough time to actually fully pull out what had been nestled in his soul, he would have actually gotten quite a shock. Instead, something else snapped his concentration when he was trying to reach out to his soul. "BOLG!" The bellow was loud and drew attention, but the result made an even larger impact.

A blood red spear was hurled into the air, and before his very eyes, it began to multiply. First by two, then by four, then six and so on. In no time, there were countless spears raining upon the crowd of fallen angels, some missing their mark but most connecting with a target. Many spears rained around the fallen angels that had surrounded him, but never once did a spear come close to him at all. [This... spear. I haven't seen it in a very long time.] Was it just him or did the dragon sound almost nostalgic?

"What is it, Ddraig?" Issei asked, curious to know what the spear was and who had thrown that spear.

[The Barbed Spear, Gae Bolg. Wielded by only two people ever. Scatach the Immortal Godslayer and her student, Cu Chulainn, the Hound of Ireland.] Issei had to whistle appreciatively at that. Those two must have been important history figures to be given such titles. [They are, actually. Scatach was born a mortal, but became an immortal after slaying so many Gods that she could easily bath in their blood Cu Chulainn, his story is a sad one. He took up Gae Bolg to defend Ireland, but the spear comes with a curse, which greatly worries me.]

"What do you mean?"

[The curse of Gae Bolg, every time you pick up that spear, you will take the life of a loved one. Why do you think so few people used it?] The solemn words from Ddraig hung in the air like an omen, Issei's brain trying to process what he had just been told.

"Wait, so whoever uses it will kill a loved one? No matter what?"

[I'm afraid so. We're about to find out who is the third user of Gae Bolg. Be prepared, Issei.] Watching with bated breath, he watched as a figure, no two figures stepped out from the shadows of the building. One obviously held the spear and stabbed a fallen angel, but the other seemed to have his hands shoved in his pockets.

As they finally stepped out, Issei couldn't believe the eyes. "Akira-senpai?" He asked, relief evident in his voice.

"Yeah." Akira responded, as the figure next to him vanished in a flash of blue flames, while a white bird mask appeared on his face once more. "How are you doing, Issei?"

"Fine, I suppose."

"Right. Let's see if I can't heal you up." Issei watched in awe as Akira ripped off his mask, revealing more blue flames as another figure appeared. "Titania." He declared. Watching the Persona power in action once more amazed him. The mask ripping part looked pretty painful however. " **Diaharan**."

A glow of white surrounded him as his wounds healed. The cuts, bruises and gash that he had sustained were all gone, not even the trace of a scar.

"Alright. We need to get the others. Me and Narukami managed to clear out around half their forces I think, and he's probably cutting from the back as we speak."

"Alright, Akira-senpai." Issei nearly grinned, it was time for the counterattack.

Yu's POV

"I never thought I'll be saying this, but..." Yu muttered as he crushed the card of the Ultimate Jester/Hunger Arcana Persona he owned. "Mangle them, Magatsu Izanagi!" A terrible howl was let out as Izanagi appeared in front of him, in his blood red coat instead of his typical black and white coat. This was Izanagi, when he went to Yomi in an attempt to retrieve his consort but failed. During that period, the filth of Yomutsu Hirasaka had accumulated and this was the result. Magatsu Izanagi, was an Izanagi who was in a sense distorted.

" **Vorpal Blade!"** With that declaration and a shattering of another card, several slashes appeared out of nowhere, and even more appeared, before they all moved, or slid into place being the more appropriate term, cutting into the flesh of many fallen angels. That was one of the reasons why he preferred using this skill for crowds of enemies. It was perfect crowd control. The only drawback was that for every extra enemy that was in the area of effect, the less effectiveness it would have because not all slashes would hit several times on a single target. That was a good thing however, given how his aim was to not kill.

As Magatsu Izanagi rampaged on, he crushed another card before joining the fray. " **Heat Riser!** " Three pillars of different light surrounded him, before fading, showing that he had been buffed in all aspects of Speed, Attack and Defence. Yu grinned sadly to himself as he joined the fray of fallen angels. Heat Riser after all, had been Adachi's favourite move.

As Mangatsu Izanagi swatted away several fallen angels like flies with Ame no Nuboko, the persona found himself crossing spears with an eight winged fallen angel. Yu noticed this at once and quickly dismissed him. It was time to bring out some heavy firepower. He smashed another card, and Odin appeared. There was no reason to inform his opponent of who he was using after all. " **Jihad**!" This was a spell that Margret had taught him after being defeated in a one on one match, and it was certainly devastating.

Storm clouds began to form, before raw lightning began to strike down, splitting itself in the process to take out as many as possible. It was currently his strongest lightning elemental attack, but it drained him. He didn't have an SP pool like Margret after all. Still, using it to clear out the wave of fallen angels that had been aiming for his head was worth it.

"You're just like him... that summoning thing you pulled off." The eight winged called out, holding two light spears as Yu brandished the two swords of Yoshitsune. "You've earned my interest. Try to survive this, and we'll see, yeah?" Instantly, the fallen angel was gone and before he could even react, a foot had planted itself on his back, sending him onto the ground as his body screamed in protest. Relying on his instincts, he quickly rolled to the side to dodge a light spear that had been aimed straight for his heart.

Still on the ground, he was forced to put up his swords to deflect a light spear that had been after his heart. Getting up, he chose to ditch one of the swords by placing it in the space between him and his shirt, his two handed style for a single sword suited him much better. He was right to do so, as he engaged a deadlock with the fallen angel.

"What was that speed?" Yu got out, as the two of them broke off their deadlock within seconds. If it had hurt like that even when he had Heat Riser, he dreaded to think what it would be like without a defence buff.

"Centuries upon centuries of cultivating. That is the end result. Time means nothing to us after all, unlike you mortals who live such short, meaningless lives." He spoke with a hint of disdain, as if he hated the very idea of living for so long. "But still, you were able to not die and survive. Most of my enemies had been executed that way. It seems that you are different. You've deserved the right to know my name. It's Abed."

"Abed huh? I'm Narukami Yu."

"So that would mean your name is Yu." Abed chuckled as he saw Yu's slightly confused expressions. "Forgive me, the customs of this country are certainly a confusing matter. But enough of that. Let us do battle." Yu readied himself once more as he eyed the fallen angel warily. It seems that Akira wasn't kidding when he was warning about the eight winged ones.

"Very well then. May the best win."

"May the best win." And sword clashed against light spear in a shower of sparks.

Mitsuru's POV

Was there no end to them? She didn't have an answer to that. For every single enemy she took down, two would take their place. And maintaining Artemisia even with a plume of Dusk was beginning to take a toll on her mental state, not to mention that fact that she had lost count of how many ice attacks she had thrown out. Yet, they still kept on coming in waves, each trying to attack her.

Yet, there was something strange about them that she couldn't fully understand. Some had hollow eyes, which showed that they as if they had no purpose in fighting, merely fighting because they were asked to do so. And it hurt, reopening old wounds which she managed to heal after such a long time. It reminded her of a certain blue haired boy or rather man who had stolen her heart. If only, if only she had more time with him. That was her greatest regret in life so far and it would be the greatest.

Others had eyes of excitement, as if they lusted after battle itself. However, the most odd ones were those who seemed to be elated. Elated at the fact that they finally had their purpose. As for what purpose, she didn't know.

"Artemisia! **Bufudyne**!" She yelled out, and with a crack of her whip, an ice pillar appeared, shattering and taking out a few enemies. With her rapier, she took out another one, but two still replaced then. Was there really no end to them?

"Immolate and purge!" A roar was heard, before she felt it and saw it. [Transfer!] The sheer intensity of the flames was more than enough to make her start sweating, and that was before she had seen the flames. Was it just her imagination or did the flames increase in intensity even more? White hot flames surged forth in an area around her, never touching her once as the fallen angels were burned to ashes, few being able to withstand the heat and even then, serious injuries had been inflicted.

"You ok, Mitsuru-san?" She watched as Artemisia was dismissed while Akira jumped in and took out the few who had survived. Behind him was a brunette boy who had a weird gauntlet of sorts that seemed to keep saying [Boost!] every ten seconds or so.

"Yeah, thanks for the help." She responded, flicking her rapier to cleanse it of blood before sheathing it.

"You guys should go help the others." Akira said, glancing up at the sky. "I'll take on the eight winged." Dismissing the sword of Surt to Issei, he summoned another weapon. To Mitsuru, it looked like a simple, yet ornate looking knife.

Akira's POV

As he came face to face with the fallen angel that had attacked him when he was at the park. "If you want to get to Lord Kokabiel, then defeat me." She declared holding out two light spears. Akira sighed as he twirled the Kaito Gentleman. Why could life never be easy? Of course, there had to be the powerful minions that defended the final boss. This was no different from the fight against Shadow Okumura, except that Kokabiel could and would fight back.

"Why are you doing this?" He asked. Akira was genuinely curious as to why so many would willingly follow Kokabiel, even if it meant certain death.

"Why? Defeat me and you'll find out." It seemed that he wasn't going to get any answers from her soon, and Akira's options was now down by one, given how Yoshitsune were now out of the picture without his twin swords. Still, it didn't change the fact that he had many other options.

"Seth! **Charge**!" As he pulled off his mask, the dragon/Egyptian God appeared and covered himself with his wings before spreading them out in a single motion while a red pillar shot up from within Akira. He was quickly forced to bring up his dagger to block two light spears. He didn't certainly expect Arsene's knife to hold against the strength that the fallen angel was putting in.

As Seth faded, Akira leapt back, before rushing forth in an attempt to try and stab the fallen angel. He wasn't going to try to hit her with One Shot Kill yet, there was a high chance that she would dodge it. He would need a set up. The question now was, what set up to use? He needed something unconventional to be able to throw her off, she probably had experience when dealing with such things. "Asura-Ou!"

"Oh?" That was all she said before rushing Akira once more. That would prove to be a mistake that she shouldn't have made.

" **Mafreidyne**!" Miniature nuclear energy hemispheres exploded around her, containing her in a small area before she could reach Akira. Exactly what he wanted. Preoccupied with dodging, she didn't notice the smirk on Akira's face. "Mara! One Shot Kill!" There was a certain reason why he didn't use this Persona very often but when he did, it was extremely effective given its high strength stat which directly affected how powerful One Shot Kill would be. Not only that, it had Apt Pupil as well. However, Akira still didn't know Mara's gender and its appearance creeped him out. Who wouldn't be creeped out by that?

Mara thrust its head towards the fallen angel, and a bullet flew from the sky, striking the fallen angel who failed to hear the low whistle of the skill incoming. It struck true, and the speeding bullet began to drill into her for a few seconds before stopping completely and fading away into harmless yellow particles. Coughing out blood, she floated to the ground, clutching her stomach which had been drilled into.

"To have wounded me to this extend. Truly, you are something else." She spoke as a green aura surrounded her hand, regrowing her intestines within a few seconds before a wall of flesh sealed it up once more.

"Things can never be easy, huh?"

"If everything was this easy, then this wouldn't be happening." She commented, brandishing two light spears once more.

"Why do you do this?"

"Like I said, defeat me and find out." Akira clicked his tongue. With her now revealed healing powers, this was going to be much more troublesome.

"This is going to be tougher than defeating Shido." Akira muttered. It was time to rely on his instincts and let loose. After all, it was when he did this that he truly shined, his battle prowess being at its near limit. Dashing forth, he parried a light spear before leaping back and hurling his knife.

It was of course deflected, but it served its purpose as Akira pulled out his mask. "Persona!" Shiva, The Destroyer appeared behind him. He decided to not speak his Personae's names anymore to simply throw off his opponents for a bit. " **Riot Gun**!" Shiva's body lurched forth for a second before swinging back as he spun the ring on one of his arms and a hail of bullets began raining down upon her.

The sheer quantity of bullets that appeared was too many for her to dodge, leaving her with several gashes but none actually penetrating her flesh. As Shiva vanished, Akira realised that he had all he needed to defeat her without too much. He very much wanted to facepalm himself for not realising it sooner. All he really needed was a distraction and the deed would be done.

Leaping to the side, he tried to dodge a hail of light spears but one struck him in his left arm.

The question now was, what distraction? As he unconsciously summoned back Arsene's dagger to block a few blows while delivering his own, he realised it. It was all so simple, every piece of the puzzle had fallen into place. Why hadn't he seen it before? What was wrong with him? "Ongyo-Ki! **Heat Riser**!"

As he felt the effects put into place, he quickly flipped his dagger in mid air which caused a minor distraction and allowed him to kick her back a short distance, which was more than enough fir what he was about to do. "Baal! **Panta Rhei**!" Spreading her wings, she tried to dodge the skill but failed. Just like before, twin wind blades flew straight towards and cut into her flesh, her being too distracted to see what was coming next.

With a calm breath, Akira dismissed the Kaito Gentlemen. He did not dare to have more than three weapons out at once. A spear appeared on his right hand, though the beauty of this spear made Gae Bolg pale in comparison. The reason was simple. This spear was made by some of the best craftsmen in the world, a group of dwarves. The spear had a metallic sheen, with the tip being three pronged like a trident. The tip had an intricate design, with a hole in the middle and jagged edges while the point was and deadly. Rearing back his hand, he prepared himself as the Panta Rhei began to dissipate.

"Strike true, Gungnir!" He roared, hurling it with all his strength. Granted, the spear was heavy, but when he threw it, it was as if weight didn't exist as it flew forth to pierce its target. As the fallen angel had her wings out when she tried to dodge the Panta Rhei but failed, they were now damaged and that didn't certainly help her in evading Gungnir. As the spear struck her, she coughed out blood, having taken too much damage. As Gungnir flew back to his hand, she spoke once more.

"You're certainly are not a pushover." She commented as she began healing herself once more. "You are worthy to know my name. It's Serena. Now, let us dance again, shall we?" Yep, this was going to be harder than Shido. After all, she had just stopped holding back.

Yu's POV

Never in his entire life had he faced a being that was so strong that wasn't a certain Goddess that he killed. Scratch that, Abed was definitely the toughest being he had ever fought. The reason why he could defeat Izanami in the first place was because of her inability to move during their fight and her size. This was proving to be a bad situation, against an opponent who had wings and moved so fast that he was barely able to keep up.

Every blow he delivered, it was either parried or dodged. Every blow he received, he was forced to be on the defensive for the next few seconds as Abed would follow up with several attacks, each aiming for a vital spot on his body. He hadn't had the time to be able to use his Personae at all, not even a Heat Riser to keep up with him or a simple Dia to deal with his wounds, leaving him at a severe disadvantage, especially when he was facing a being that God himself created. At least his friends weren't here to be swallowed by curses, but still...

Mitsuru was fighting for her life as well, while the Wild Card he just met was probably doing the same thing. Only with a higher chance of dying more than any of them. Their lives pretty much laid in his hands. Akira Kurusu, Leader of the Phantom Thieves. After all, who could forget the mask of the leader of the group who had somehow hack into every single broadcast channel across Japan to send a message to one Masayoshi Shido? It just showed how much power the group held within their hands. He supposed that it was certainly a good thing that they did not abuse the hacking skills they held.

If Yu was already facing such difficulty against an opponent who was a tier lower than what Kokabiel was, then what chance did he hold? From what Yu could guess, Kokabiel would be on a whole new level. Fallen angels like Abed and Kokabiel no doubt elevated what prowess they had by creating new techniques with their ability to manipulate light. It was simply terrifying to think what they could do with it. Seeing the physical battle prowess of Abed alone was already scary enough. He couldn't bear to think what techniques that he had within his arsenal. Worst come to worst, it would mean having to use Myriad Truths.

But Myriad Truths was an ability used to discern the truths from the lies, not an actual damaging nuke that he could pull out so easily like Jihad. He was really stuck in a bind here. What could he do here? As he engaged in another deadlock, his mind finally clicked as he realised something.

Somehow, in someway, his cuts were getting more precise by the second, being able to land minor scratches on Abed, and it seemed as though he was able to dodge more often despite his injured state. Was he unconsciously learning to read the movements of his attacker better? The thought itself was ridiculous, yet it was proving to be true here, as he managed to finally dodge another blow. Come to think of it, he probably had done the same thing back when he was fighting shadows in the TV world. If this kept on, he might have a chance at defeating the fallen angel.

"Huh. Seems like you're adapting more quickly than I thought." Abed commented as he finally halted his movement, standing in front of Yu once more. There was a hint of respect in his voice, along with mirth as he continued. "Still, you've got a long way if you wish to defeat me."

"You said it yourself, didn't you? Your skills are the result of training for centuries." Yu commented, grasping his sword tightly just in case.

"And like I said, you're different from the others I've faced. Not many would have been able to hold out for so long, much less start adapting to hold against me." He commented idly, twirling his light spear. "Still, that is not your true power, despite your skill with a sword. That summoning thing, I've only heard mere rumours of it, nothing more. What exactly is it?"

"It's a human power." He blurted out. For some reason, that sounded mostly right. Then again, Margret, Theodore and Elizabeth were not human, but Avatars of Power.

"Ah, but that still wouldn't explain why."

"So why are you asking about this power?"

Abed snorted in return. "You didn't think I wouldn't recognize the Ame no Nuboko? Nor the fact that it was coated with filth that can only be found in the depths of Yomutsu Hirasaka? It's suicidal to think about even going near to that place. Only very few people have done so and even fewer have come out alive. I don't know how you did it, but you somehow managed to summon Izanagi himself. Or at least from the time when he tried to retrieve Izanami but nearly got killed instead."

"So you figured it out, then. About Magatsu Izanagi."

"Magatsu Izanagi? How fitting. Tell me, how many more of these do you have? I know you summoned two, but I believe that you have more than that."

"A lot more." Was his simple reply.

"That's a vague way of responding." Abed noted.

"I can't be giving all the information." Yu bantered, his grip shifting.

"I suppose so. Then I'll have to force it out of you." Without hesitation, Yu crushed a Hunger Tarot Card, Ame no Nuboko appearing to bat away the light spear that had been aimed for his heart. Magatsu Izanagi howled and began exchanging blows with Abed. "Almost like a mindless beast, with the chains of sanity snapped." Abed commented as he fought Magatsu Izanagi.

" **Yet it does not mean that I am weak**." For the first time in a few years, Yu heard Magatsu Izanagi speak. This Izanagi was one to keep his thoughts to himself, but whenever he spoke, it was either with arrogance or merely stating a fact. If Yu had to guess, it was currently the latter.

"So you can speak."

" **I am a God, lending my power to the whelp. He's proven his worth**." Magatsu Izanagi responded, striking Abed with his nagita while evading the attacks skilfully, despite his crazed appearance.

"How has he proven his worth?"

" **The power of bonds**." Yu clicked his tongue. He had hoped that Magatsu Izanagi would not give away answers that easily, but Personae like him would do whatever they wished when set loose upon the world.

"Bonds? What do you mean?" Abed's curiousity had been perked.

"Beings such as you wouldn't be able to comprehend what the power of bonds could do." In a rare moment, Magatsu Izanagi chuckled. "To be truth told, most of us couldn't even comprehend it even if we tried."

"Bonds huh? To me, it is a fickle thing. One mistake and it's gone."

"That is why you can never hope to understand it, Abed. To us humans, the bonds that we make are something we treasure and have withstood the test of everything. Even Gods themselves could never hope to break them." Yu stepped up. He would show Abed the power of bonds, just like he did with Hi no Kagutsuchi.

"Oh? Show me then." A coy smile ran across Abed's lips, as the two of them faced down each other with Yu's fire reignited.

 **A/N: Idk what I was doing, but yeah. Apparently having a day off from work allowed me to rewrite this chapter quite fast because I certainly wasn't expecting to have this out by Saturday evening. In case you're wondering, Persona 5 takes place four years after Persona 4 so Yu is 22. If my math is wrong, feel free to correct me on this one. If you're wondering why they are not using all their powers and shit, keep in mind that this is the real world and not the TV World or the Metaverse, where the environment is malleable and cannot be damaged permanently. They have to think about collateral damage after all. Plus, their aim is to defend Rias and Sona so they can't drag out their battles for too long. If either one dies, it's game over.**

 **As usual, if you have comments or have certain requests (which may or may not be fulfilled depending on me when I write) or think there's room for improvement, leave a comment. Try not to flame please, noob writer here. Kappa.**

 **Quick random ass question. Who will win? SEES vs Investigation Team vs Phantom Thieves of Hearts. I had this random thought when I was rewriting this chapter so yeah, feel free to answer if you guys want to.**

 **Listened by Cold Skin(Stonebank Remix) by Seven Lions Echos, Disconnected VIP by Pegboard Nerds ft Desiree Dawson, Moving Hectic by Slips and Slurs ft Harry Shota(The dude is seriously good at rapping.), Magic by Raizer and Holy by Kayzo Slander ft Micah Martin for this chapter.**


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Eight Winged Duo Part 2

 _Time frames and locations_

 **Persona Skills and Speech**

[Dragon Speech]

POVs

 _Kuoh Academy, Sunday Night_

Akira's POV

"Gah!" Getting knocked back by the sheer force of a kick onto the cold hard ground was not how Akira wanted to spend his Sunday Night. Fighting against the now identified Serena had taken its toll on him, and the pain of the wounds was beginning to set in. He could really use a Diarama or Diarahan to heal him right now, but he didn't have the time to even pull out his mask as she continued her relentless assault.

Earlier on, he had traded Gungnir out for the Kaito Gentleman, but it wasn't working out either. The light knife did little to help against the constant light spears that were after his heart, head and lungs. Gritting his teeth in frustration, he quickly swapped out the knife for Gae Bolg. It was the only other weapon that he had proficiency in, given how he had used it a few times in real combat. He needed a way to defeat Serena, and fast to get to Kokabiel. Striking with Gae Bolg's killing curse could be dodged by Serena, given the level of divinity within her despite her status as a fallen angel.

If he didn't make it in time, the whole world would go to shit. He had seen the affection that Sirzechs held for his sister and from what Sona had described to him, Serafall Leviathan was no different when it came to being a siscon. Time was ticking, but he was being beaten around by Serena like a rag doll, having little time to dodge or block her attacks. He needed some form of edge over her, but the question was what?

 **Are you that pitiful to let yourself get beaten around like that?**

Akira didn't know how to answer the voice of Satanael echoing within his mind as he swiftly dodged another light spear aimed for his brain. He had to thank that fact that training in the Metaverse had allowed him to increase his endurance to much more than any normal human could hope to have.

 **So? Was I wrong to answer your call to kill the Deimurge?**

Still, Akira gave no reply. He didn't exactly have an answer to the questions that Satanael kept bombarding him with.

 **Tell me, are you going to let this fallen angel, who is inferior to you in every aspect, defeat you?**

"I..." His speech faltered as he blocked another blow, before counterattacking with a swift stab that connected with the stomach. "I don't..." He couldn't form the full words as he was forced to block a quick blow against him.

Satanael's questions got him contemplating. Was he, a mere human really better than a being that was created by God? Could he really defeat her? Before he knew it, he had been pulled into his mindscape without his consent.

 _Akira's Mindscape_

He found himself back in the grassy fields where he had met Satanael the last time. This time however, Satanael was standing in his human form. He wore a gold suit with the suit jacket unbuttoned, exposing a white collared shirt along with a black tie.

" **I'm sorely disappointed in you, Trickster.** " Were the first words that left his mouth. " **You're not the man whose call I answered."**

Akira's breath hitched as he heard the accusation. But before he could think about it, a question escaped his lips. "If I'm here, then what about my body?"

" **Cu's handling it as we speak. However, even he can only hold out for so long."**

"Then let me go back!" He spoke hotly, not wanting to risk the chance if Cu Chulainn not being able to hold out long enough.

" **At your current state? I think not. The body is strong, yet the soul is weak.** Satanael responded, sporting a smirk on his face before giving him a slap in the face. The full force of the slap shocked Akira for a second as he took several steps back, before he glared at his ultimate Persona. Akira wanted to wipe that annoying smirk off his face, before he realised what Satanael had meant. He wasn't thinking rationally, unlike his normal self who could easily come up with plans despite the stress placed on him or whatever situation he found himself in. **"Took you long enough."**

"Thanks, Satanael. I really needed this." He responded, placing his hands into the pockets of his trench coat. His mind was now sharp once more, no longer dulled by doubt and confusion. "So how do I go about defeating Serena? She's one tough nut to crack."

 **"You're asking me this?"** Akira only laughed heartily in return.

"Shouldn't you know your race the best?"

Said fallen angel glared at Akira for a second before sighing. **"Serena was the perfect warrior that anybody would want on their side. Strong, fierce and unwavering. Those are only some of her many good traits."**

"How do you know all this?"

 **"She served as my lieutanant for a period of time before I passed the mantle to Azazel and disappeared on the entire world. No one, not even her knew about my whereabouts."**

"Why would you do such a thing?"

Satanael gave him a crooked grin, which made Akira think that he wasn't going to like the answer very much. " **Don't get me wrong, life as a leader of an entire race was cool and all except for the paperwork. But being confined to a single position doesn't suit me. It is like you trying to use a single Persona in a fight against Shido when you have your entire arsenal.** " That comparison was strangely accurate, as Akira couldn't imagine himself doing so, being confined to usage of a single Persona when he had so many others up his sleeve.

"True. I am thou, thou art I, after all." He responded.

" **The fastest way to defeat Serena is to simply overpower her with something that she knows that she can't fight."**

"You mean use you?" Akira joked.

" **Not me, but rather my gun."** Satanael gestured to his gun which had materialised on his other hand, before tossing it to Akira. When he caught it, the first thing he noticed was the weight. It was so light, it was almost non existent. " **This gun was one of the weapons that many angels, even Michael himself dreaded to go up against for a single reason; it had the ability to make any angel fall, if the target wasn't killed on the spot that is. Combined with Paradise Lost, the angels always steered cleared of me no matter what. Only Metatron and Sandalphon were strong enough to face me without the risk of falling.** **Come to think of it, it was probably because they held quite important roles that kept them faithful to the Lord."** Akira whistled appreciatively at that. If some of the strongest Archangels were unwilling to go against him, it simply showed the insane power that his Persona held. He wondered what would happen had Satanael participated in the Great War.

"That still doesn't help in defeating her. She's already a fallen." He flatly stated instead.

" **The gun is more than it meets the eye."**

"Thanks for speaking in riddles." Akira responded sardonically, analysing the gun. It was unlike anything he had even seen or worked with, a gun that was so unique that it would be recognised by many no matter what. The sleek gun was slightly longer than a rifle, with the sides of the barrel uncovered. No doubt Satanael had made waves in the Supernatural World by simply existing, and here he was, about to reveal his existence once more.

As he felt himself beginning to leave the mindscape, holding the gun, Satanael gave him a smirk while Akira merely rolled his eyes at the action as he felt himself take control of his body once more.

Yu's POV

"It seems that we're evenly matched now." Abed commented as they engaged in another deadlock. After that short talk of bonds, Yu was all the more ready to prove Abed wrong, and he would do so. "But it still isn't enough." Yu gritted his teeth as he was kicked back by the former's superior strength and forced to cut a light spear that would have taken his head off.

"Persona!" With the small window of opportunity, he quickly summoned another Persona. This time, Magatsu Izanagi answered his call once more. " **Heat Riser**!"

He brought up his sword just in time to parry a light spear with his new found strength, before swiftly cutting his sword into flesh. Still, with that small victory, he did not let his guard down. He doubted that even a wound on Abed's arm would do much to slow him down. " **Vorpal Blade!** " Magatsu Izanagi swung his naginta, causing many different slashes to appear on mid air before sliding into place. With the sheer quantity of slashes, Abed was unable to dodge all of them, resulting in several wounds.

Manifesting a barrage of light spears, Abed sent them down upon Yu with a wave of his hand, forcing him to either cut any light spear that was going to hit him or simply evade them. As Yu finished dodging most of the light spears, he clicked his tongue as he watched Abed heal his wounds. This was like the fight with Margaret all over again, except that she would spam insanely strong elemental attacks against him. "Persona! **Diarahan**!"

However, it didn't mean that he couldn't heal his wounds as well. With a wave of Titania's hand, a purplish glow surrounded him as his wounds began to seal themselves. He had to thank the fact that his healing took far lesser time than Abed's, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to tend to his wounds at all.

No words were spoken as the two continued to exchange blows. It wasn't like the fight earlier. Now, both parties were seeking to defeat each other. However, Abed was the one on the offense as he sent several light spears, each aimed at different vital parts of his body simultaneously before charging in with a light spear in hand. Yu was forced to be on the defensive, cutting down the light spears like a hit knife through butter with one of the swords of Yoshitsune before parrying a blow that would hace taken off his head. It simply showed Abed's prowess when it came to controlling light and Yu's skill in handling a sword.

Despite how "perfect" angels were when God made them, it was clear that they would still make mistakes sooner or later. And made a mistake did Abed do. His next swing had been a little too far in, giving Yu a window of opportunity to quickly dodge the attack, before countering by stabbing his arm with the sword. Pulling back, he followed up with a kick to the stomach, knocking the wind out of Abed as he skidded across the ground, blood dripping from the wound.

Abed merely smirked, as if he had been elated at the fact that Yu had finally managed to land such a wound. "Dance, my spears!" Yu watched calmly as light spears began to continmanifest out of nowhere and began flying towards him like iron attracted to a magnet. Simply concentrating, he swapped his main Persona to Kaguya, rendering him immune to the light spears that threatened to skewer him as he dashed forth, ready to cut Abed down. Imagine his surprise when a light spear parried his blow, before he was kicked from the back.

"I didn't even see that!" Yu thought frantically as he got back up, spitting out a bit of blood. The fallen angel's kick had certainly been powerful, and he had let his guard down without thinking about it. He should have not let that happen. He would not let that happen a second time.

The cry of "Persona!" went up as Yu crushed another tarot card, this time of the Fool Arcana as Izanagi appeared in front of him. " **Ziodyne**!" He had chosen to implant the high tier lightning skill onto Izanagi, and it certainly had benefitted him a lot during their runs through dungeons. Plus, it had felt wrong to not keep Izanagi around, given the Shinto God being his first Persona and he needed a way to keep him relevant as they progressed through harder dungeons.

Lightning struck down from the heavens as Izanagi gestured towards Abed, who was still in the process of healing his wounds. The small groan of pain left Yu satisfied for some odd reason, before he dashed forth once more.

Abed met his charge with another two light spears formed out of nowhere. However, something wasn't right. His instincts were screaming at him to get back, which he did. However, it was too late as four long light spears surrounded both him and Abed. Using his godlike speed, he got out of the cage that had now been set up for Yu alone. "Strike down upon my foes, lightning!" A realisation dawned upon Yu, but it was all for naught as the sound of booming thunder followed after a single, large bolt of lightning struck down upon the cage that contained Yu.

No doubt about it, as the four light spears acted as some sort of lightning rod, circulating lightning in the area around the four rods forming a cage of deadly electircity when lightning struck down. His nerves screamed as his body was fried, not having the time to change his Persona to a Null Electric one or one that could at least resist Electric.

As the lightning died down after what seemed like an agonising eternity, Yu fell onto the floor, wisps of smoke trailing off him. Was this his limit? To have been beaten by the very element that he and Izanagi held as one, the irony. His eyelids were so heavy, and oh, how his body tempted him to close those eyes and simply fall into the blissful unconsciousness to avoid the current pain that was wrecking his body. And the pain that was to come when Abed would execute him.

His left hand's grip on the sword was now beginning to slacken, as his body relaxed itself, while his right hand which was free refused to reach up to crush a card, any tarot card that would summon a healer to quickly tend to his wounds. He could however, still taste the bitterness of defeat in his mouth, which left a bad aftertaste to it. The same appiled to his hearing, as he heard the footsteps of Abed slowly walking forth. However, the words that left the fallen angel's lips were too incomprehesible for the downed adult to even hear properly. With one last blink, his eyes finally closed, unable to bear the weight of the heavy eyelids.

 _The -- --_

He opened his eyes once more. Yu Narukami certainly wasn't expecting that. Was this what death was like? It... felt uncomfortable. That was before he noticed his surroundings. It was all the same colour scheme. A velvet blue. The realisation hit him hard like a bullet through his heart. He was in the Velvet Room once more.

As he slowly got up from what appeared to be a hard wooden board, like those meant for prisoners, another realisation hit him. This wasn't the Velvet Room. Not his, at the very least. This Velvet Room had several cells surrounding each other, but behind the giant oak desk in the center of it all, two lighted pathways were present, no doubt leading each in different directions. What shook him the most was that both pathways were shining so brightly, it nearly blinded him. The question was, whose Velvet Room was it?

"Welcome to the Velvet Room once again, Narukami Yu. It seems that fate has dictated that we meet once again." He turned his stiff head to face at the source of the voice, who sat behind the oak table. His lips formed a thin smile as he spotted the master of the Velvet Room, Igor himself. Next to him, Magaret stood stiffly, holding the book "Le Grimore" as he remembered.

"Igor. Margaret." He greeted.

"It seems that you have found yourself in a dire situation." Yu nodded at that. After all, he was about to be executed. He bit his cheek as he thought about it. Was he really that weak? Well, at least his death was being delayed by the fact that the Velvet Room existed between time and space, giving him plenty of time to talk to its residents. "However, all hope is not lost. One such key lies in what the other guest of the Velvet Room lent you."

"Other guest? His fingers snapped as he realised what he meant. "You mean Akira?"

"Yes. In fact, this is his Velvet Room that you're seeing right now." Magaret responded, gesturing to the room. "It represents his trapped state in society, being forced to make a decision that no one should ever have to with no way out of it."

Yu stayed silent at that. To think his fellow wildcard carried such a harsh burden. Indeed, no one should ever have to do that. Come to think of it, both of his fellow wildcards, Minato and Akira, had probably both gotten the short end of the stick as compared to him. One was forced to be the seal that prevented humanity from getting killed off for eternity, while the other was being weighed down by a decision that was going to potentially affect the entire world. Him? All he had to do up to now was simple. Stop three Gods from destroying the world. It was like a walk in the park as compared to the things they had.

"Why force him to make such a choice at all? Humanity should decide as a whole, not him." Margaret gave a wry smile at that.

"Fate itself is cruel that way. Certain people have done less, yet others have more responsiblities. No two people have the problems that each weigh them down the same. Let me ask you this. If we were to expose the Supernatural to people and force them to make the decision, what would happen?" Yu stayed silent at that, knowing the simple answer. Chaos. Chaos would ensue, as many people would have differing opinions for that matter. No proper decision would be made and humanity would drop like files.

"I see you understand now, Narukami Yu. Indeed, fate is a cruel mistress and few can find the will or power to defy it. Your fate of being executed may yet be averted if you find the way to defeat him. Remember this, I am thou, thou art I."

Yu muttered something under his breath. Couldn't Igor just be direct for once and not speak in riddles? "Ah, but where would be the fun in that? There is no easy way to the finish, you of all people should know that." Great, now Igor was reading his mind. Still, he couldn't exactly fault the words of the long nosed man. Defeating Izanami had taken its toll on him both emotionally and physically, there was no doubt about it. Well, at least his friends weren't here to get cursed this time.

"Thanks, Igor. I really appreciate it."

"It is no problem, Master Yu. Now, return to the real world, and change your fate." Igor chuckled as he grinned. "That is... if you can."

Issei's POV

 _Kuoh Academy_

"Saji! Your six!" Issei yelled as he pushed through the throng of fallen angels to reach his fellow pawn. With unthinkable reflex, Saji shifted to the left, narrowingly dodging a light spear that was aimed for his heart. [Boost!] Issei then followed up with a hard punch to the assaulter, bones shattering as the sound of cracking was heard. [You're at nearing your limit. You've got three to five more Boosts and you will have to explode, give or take.]

"Thanks!" Saji yelled, kicking a random fallen angel who had gotten too close. As they were surrounded, their backs clashed against each other. " **Mabufudyne**!" Mitsuru followed up with several pillars of ice, each forming before shattering, taking out several fallen angels and giving the two pawns some space to continue fighting.

"Damm it! Isn't there something we can do?" Issei cursed, fighting through the crowd as he, Saji and Mitsuru attempted to make a dent in the seemingly endless crowd of fallen angels.

[There is a way to help your situation. It's only a temporary thing however. It turns out that whatever bond with that human you have isn't fully manifested and ready, so it cannot be used.]

"Whatever option it is, I'll take it!" The fallen angels were beginning to stack up, especially the sixed winged angels who kept either hurling light spears at them or those who engaged in melee combat, all of them using their superior numbers to overwhelm the few combatants. He watched in horror as Saji got struck by a ight spear by the side, him groaning in pain as he fended off the attacker. Behind him, Mitsuru didn't look too good either as she seemed to be fatigued and she wasn't a devil who had more endurance.

[It depends on which part of your body you're willing to donate. I can give you a temporary Balance Breaker in exchange.]

"Which part of my body's worth the most? Take it if you must!" He groaned as he tried to stop the weight of four fallen angels trying to overwhelm him with raw strength.

[Are you sure, partner? Once I take it, there's no going back.]

"To protect Rias and the others, I'll do what I must." He said, determined. His mind was fortified against the doubt in the vouce of Ddraig, he didn't care! He would protect, no matter the cost! Saji, while annoying, was still his fellow pawn and comrade/pervert in arms. The entire Student Council that kept law and order in Kuoh during the day. Koneko, the petite girl that still had her past troubling her. Kiba, the dammed blonde Bishounen who put with his perverted antics despite being the only other male of the group. Akeno, the Queen that always teased him. And Rias, the King of him whom he had sworn to protect. He had been tossed around like a rag doll by a dragon just below Ddraig's league just for it, and he would not mind paying a part of his body just to protect once more. "I will protect! Even if it costs me my life!"

Inside the Boosted Gear, Ddraig laughed. Laughed joyfully as the wonderous miracle happened. He had been about to lay claim to the heart of his host when it happened. It was shockingly amazing, how his host was able to achieve it within just a few months of unlocking the Boosted Gear. The growth of his host was simply astounding. His host certainly had the heart of gold, the raw emotion and now, the power to defend. There was no other word to describe it. It was a miracle as the Boosted Gear began to glow. And to top it off, the bond that the human and Issei held had just become stronger.

[Welsh Dragon Balance Breaker.]

The upper right arm holding the Boosted Gear was first to be covered with red plates of armour. His chest followed next, with a chestplate covering his entire torso, with a green gem in the middle. His legs went next, red plates with golden spikes glowing as it closed off the sight of his tattered school pants. His other arm was engulfed in a red light, forming another gauntlet similar to the Boosted Gear. His head was the last to be covered, a helmet appearing with green silts covering the eyes. A red tail of sorts emerged from the back of his helm, trailing behind him. Screaming in pain, he felt two extremely painful sensations burst forth from his shoulder blades.

"Woahhhh. That's some cool shit right there." Apparently, the fighting had stopped, everyone gazing at Issei's now plated body. However, others weren't enthusiastic as Saji.

"The Red Dragon Emperor's unlocked his Balance Breaker! Target him first!" One of the sixed winged yelled out loud, quickly recovering from the fact that there was now a Mid Tier Longinus Balance Breaker in the playing field. Issei still hwoever was checking out his Balance Breaker, trying to place the two new yet familiar sensations that stayed within his shoulder blades, constabtly moving.

[It's your wings, you oppai baka!] Ddraig yelled, frustrated at the fact that Issei had failed to figure out something simple. For someone who was part of a race who utilised their wings a lot, he was sure dumb. If the dragon had a head, he would haven shaken it. [You better start fighting.] The grim warning quickly sent Issei into action.

As other fallen angels began to conjure light spears once more, Issei's armoured fist had already slammed into a fallen angel. [Transfer!] Quickly deciding that he needed to get rid of some energy, he transferred some power to Mitsuru, who seemed to be in dire need of it. Saji's Absorption Line whipped forth, latching onto the Boosted Gear and draining energy from it with a nod of approval from Issei.

Within the few precarious seconds that Mitsuru had bought for them, Saji's line slipped away, leaving Issei slightly drained as he donated the energy. On the plus side, he could now Boost more. Well, time to see what the Balance Breaker could do. [Go wild, then.]

[Boost![Boost![Boost![Boost![Boost!]

Akira's POV

The moment he regained control of his body, he found that the number of wounds that he had had increased by quite a bit. However, Serena was also suffering from multiple wounds, but the fact still stood that she was currently healing from them. "Titania! **Diarahan**!"

Within a second, his wounds had fully healed and he was ready to fight once more. Ah, the wonders of a Diarahan. It had saved him many a time and now was no exception. "What's that in your hand?" He was broken out of his quick musings as he flipped the gun. Serena glared at him, eyes glinting murderously as she summoned several light spears, ready to be sent down upon Akira.

"I've decided. It's time I start ending this." He responded before firing off a shot at Serena. Now, he was no stranger to rifles, having customised Yusuke's rifles and knew that two hands were needed for a proper grip and firing position. However, it seemed that this one was an exception. The bullet seemingly missed, but it had been merely a warning shot and it did nothing more than grazing her cheek. With a quick gesture, the light spears that had been in the air began descending upon him, seeking his blood. With quick and efficient movements, he shot all six of them down, before slowly walking forth.

Strange, it felt too easy doing this. Almost as if he had done this before. Yet, he had never, ever in his entire life tried to wield this weapon up till now. **"I am thou, thou art I, remember?** Sighing, he fired off two more shots, at where he predicted she would be. It seemed that whatever experience Satanael had in using it, it added on to his mearger one, adding onto his potency when using the rifle.

The bullets struck true, one clipping two of her wings, forcing her onto the ground while the other struck her hand which had been about to throw a light spear at him. His eyes narrowed when her uninjured right hand touched her left hand, a greenish glow appearing as her wounds closed again. So that was the key to her healing.

He fired off four more shots as quickly as possible. It seemed that there was an infinite supply of ammo for him to use. Whatever magic there was, he was grateful for it. The first two struck her wings once more, interrupting her flight while the third and fourth bullets struck their targets in the form of her left and right hand. "Give up." He cocked the gun at her head, ready to pull the trigger.

"Go ahead. Do it then." She challeneged, glaring defiantly at him. He was confident that he could land a fatal shot with ease despite her speed, and Serena seemed to know that as well.

"I think I'll keep you alive for now. There's no point in killing you." He responded, allowing the gun to vanish into midair to prove his point. "I've gone and killed a god and a devil. My hands are tainted with enough blood as it stands."

"That is still not a valid reason." She frowned, having accepted her defeat long ago. The moment he brought out that gun, she had already lost.

"The regret. I can see it in your eyes. You still haven't purged it from your mind."

"What would you know of regret?" She hissed. It was obviously a sore topic for her and Akira could guess why.

"I regret my very existence. I wouldn't have been dragged into this dammed world if it wasn't for my mere existence. I just wanted to be a normal person, living a normal life but it seems that fate has deemed it otherwise." He responded silently, shoving his hands into the pockets of his trench coat before walking away.

"That gun. Why do you have it?" She spoke up, stopping Akira mid step.

"I'm sure you can figure it out, Serena. Why would I have it, that is." He began walking away once more, gun materialising as he began taking down several fallen angels who had tried to engage him by landing non fatal shots. The only other person who would die by his hands today would be Kokabiel. That he swore, even if it cost him his life.

 **A/N: I know it's been two weeks since I last updated, but work has been keeping me quite busy for a bit. Enjoy this chapter and yeah. As usual, leave a review if you wanna see some random shit or have any random comments you wanna throw at me or flame me for posting this quite late. And btw, sorry for this somewhat shitty writing. Gonna try to improve on it but it'll take a few chapters or so.**

 **Quick random ass question #2: Akira Kurusu or Ren Amamiya, which do you guys prefer? To be honest, I'm fine with both but I wanna hear you opinions as well.**

 **Listened to Sky is Falling by Darren Styles and Stonebank ft EMEL, Moves like Jagger, Livin La Vida Loca by Ricky Martin, Anywhere I go by Vicetone and Bone Dry by Tristam.**


	17. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Consequences

 _Time frames and locations_

 **Persona Skills and Speech**

[Dragon Speech/Boosted Gear Skills]

POVs

 _Kuoh Academy, Sunday Night_

Issei's POV

[Boost![Boost![Boost![Boost![Boost!]

[I would have preferred if it said Bankai.] If Issei wasn't in the middle of a horde of fallen angels trying to thin out their ranks, he would have deadpanned at the statement. It was simply too weird to be said at a time like this. Then again, his dragon probably had differing priorities.

"I would have preferred it if you didn't say it right now. We're fighting for our lives, Ddraig." He shot back instead, sending a punch through before inhaling sharply. With a mighty breath, he unleashed the flames that seeked to destroy and ravage everything from within his body. [Transfer!] Fallen angels screamed in terror, as the heat washed over them before the ever hungry flames consumed them, leaving nothing but charred bodies behind its wake.

[Still not my strongest. You've got a long way to go if you want to unlock it. But that's a conversation for another time.] This wasn't his strongest? Issei was thoroughly confused. Hadn't he unlocked Ddraig's flames? [Like I said, it's a comversation for another time.] It was painfully obvious that Ddraig would not budge on this subject with that tone of finality.

Looking back, he realised that the fallen angels had started to thin out slightly. How many were there? However, he still couldn't despair. After all, he had to protect his King at all costs. Plus, he seemed to have been a rallying point for his two current comrades, both Mitsuru and Saji fighting with a renewed vigor and fire in their eyes.

"Hey, Ddraig. How long do I have?" He knew that he didn't have too much time until he reached his limit. Heck, he was already beginning to feel the faitgue and strain from having so many Boosts and constantly fighting. His muscles were burning, and the wounds that he had sustained earlier in the fight weren't helping at all.

[You've got fifteen minutes in your Balance Breaker, same time limit if you explode now. Then you're gonna hit your limit. The Balance Breaker always has a 30 minutes limit at the very first usage.] Issei clicked his tongue. Things were looking pretty grim here, and he didn't have too much time before he went on empty. He would make it count, at the very least. Hopefully there would be some miracle to pull them through after this last hurrah.

[Explode!] Thankfully, the Boosted Gear had somehow mamaged to Boost him to the limit, allowing him to fully ultilise whatever power he had stored. And the explosion of power was certainly devastating. A wave of power rippled through the ranks of the fallen angels, as the first few to feel the full force of the power blacked out immediately, not being able to withstand the pressure.

"Who wants to do this first?" He glanced at the crowd of fallen angels that had surrounded him. Some had expressions of fear, being able to feel the waves of power that radiated from the armour clad devil. Others grinned at the thought if a fight with such a powerful foe. Issei flew forth, beginning his assault renewed. Hopefully he would have defeated enough fallen angels to make a difference by the time his fifteen minutes was up.

Yu's POV

As Abed's hand flew down, ready to behead the fallen teen, a sword intercepted the light spear that nearly pierced the flesh. "What a shocker. You're still going to fight?"

Using whatever strength he had, Yu began to slowly win the contest of strength, pushing back the light spear. "I... can't give up." He grunted, pushing back Abed fully before slowly getting up. "I promised my friends that I would see them once more, no matter what."

"Yet you talk about those bonds of yours once more." Yu's reply was to take out the second sword that had laid between his shirt and back, holding the twin swords in a fashion that was almost similar to Sho Minazuki.

"I won't give up. Not now, not ever." He responded, never taking his eyes off Abed who seemed to be contemplating his next move.

"You would do well to give up those foolish things that you call, bonds." He sneered, before dashing forth.

 **"Hassou Tobi!"** He had finally figured out what Akira had meant by a hidden function. All he really needed was the words of Igor to figure it out fully. With a deep breath, he stabbed the twin swords into the ground and called out the skill. Then again, he should have figured it out earlier. He had already been told that these were the swords of Yoshitsune.

"What?" Abed cried out in shock as the eight slashes never missed despite his godlike speed, each cutting deep into his flesh. To be honest, Yu didn't know how much power he put into that skill. Still, to wound Abed that badly, it was a small victory for him.

"Persona! **Salvation."** He groaned out. Apparently using the skill without a Persona was quite taxing, and he desprately needed Salvation to fully heal his wounds since it seemed to have only further aggravate his wounds as well.

With Korhyu finishing the heals, he stood up once more. As expected, the ancient Dragon had managed to do its job well. The question now was, what to do? He had to figure out a way to defeat the dammed fallen angel and help the others somehow. He realised his near fatal mistake as he somehow blocked a light spear. He had been too deep in thought to see Abed in action, and he had nearly paid the price for it.

His second sword swerved up in an attempt to gut Abed, but it was blocked with a well placed light spear. It was once more, a duel to the death and nothing could stop it. He needed to quickly get used to the new twin sword style or he would certainly die, there was no doubt about it. How had Sho Minazuki done it? How had the scar faced boy managed to succeed in an area where he was struggling?

 **"It's do or die. That's all you need."** Korhyu stated in a serious tone. Yu nearly swallowed, but realised what had to be done. It was either he adapt to the style on the fly or die. That had to be the only option, since his swords were too busy blocking or attacking to shatter a tarot card to call for assistance. He would take Korhyu seriously, his advice was always invaluable.

"Why do you struggle so much? Soon enough, this world will be engulfed in a war so great that no one will be spared. Just let it happen."

"I can't just sit back and let it happen."

"You only need to look around you. Soon enough, Kokabiel would have murdered the two heiresses in cold blood and the war will start." Yu was silent as he quickly took in his surroundings. Buildings were on fire, and there was no ally in sight as fallen angels swarmed all over the dammed place, ignoring the two of them.

"I trust in Akira. He will end this foolishness." He responded cooly as he tried for another stab, only to be coutered before blocking another blow. This was getting nowhere. Abed was well versed in dual wielding, and he wasn't good enough to break through the solid defences.

"Trust is nothing more than a fool's errand." Just then, the sound of several gunshots rang across the battlefield. It paused for a few seconds, before the next ones seemed to resound even louder before silence overtook the area for a second. "Dammit, Serena was defeated?" Abed muttered, but the words were caught by Yu.

"He's gone and done it, it seems. Though we still can't unleash our full power here." Yu rammed his head into Abed's causing a minor distraction which gave him more than enough time and space. **"Hassou Tobi!"** He stabbed the swords into the ground once more. Another seven wounds appeared on Abed, him being able to evade a slash this time. Damm it. It seemed that Abed was learning to read that particular attack of his.

"Full power? You're saying that you're still holding back?" Abed was curious now.

"We would obliberate possibly half of the town if we were to go full power. Maybe more, given how some of our skills can cause widespread damage." He gestured to the concrete ground, which now had 16 lengthy and deep gouge marks from the two Hassou Tobi that had been casted with some marks overlapping each other. If Yu had to guess, it was roughly half a metre deep, maybe less. Perhaps he should have channelled less power when casting the skills? Maybe it was because he was used to fighting in a mallable environment where damage to the surroundings could be easily mitigated.

Meanwhile, in the Velvet Room, Igor watched with a large grin on his face. "Oh how little you know..." Margaret, in one of her rare moments, gave a small smile, wanting to contradict that statement of Yu's.

A feral grin appeared on Abed's face, as if he had finally hit the jackpot. Instead of being nervous, his nerves remained calm. Just like his nickname, Kingpin of Steel for his straight countenance. "Magatsu Izanagi! **Heat Riser!"** With that final buff, the two of them dashed off, sparks appearing as they clashed again. Still, Yu wanted to end this as soon as possible.

 **"Lend me control of your body. I am sick of this.** **I will help you to end this, fast.** **He's already wounded enough as it stands."** Indeed, Abed was already quite wounded from the two Hassou Tobi earlier, not having the time to heal. Still, the tenacity was something that he admired. Seeing no other option, he let Izanagi no Okami take control of his body. And as he did, a wave of power was felt across the world, like a huge ripple through a small pond.

The Shinto Trinity was confused. Had their father decided to come out of solitude after millenia? Why would their father come out now, when the world was still in a Cold War state? Sure, their powerbase would increase if their father rejoined them once more but other faction might just see it as a sign of aggression, given how very few primordal Gods sided with any faction at all.

Odin smirked before downing another cup of wine. He had recognised the signature the moment it appeared despite not having sensed it before. There was, after all only one God who could have produced such power. Things were certainly turning out to be interesting already, and it was clear that his faction would be involved in something soon. He had best prepare for it. Sighing, he called for his troublesome secretary.

Heaven was in a state of panic, as their equipment detected the wave of power that seemed to spread across the globe. The scale of power was terrifying and Heaven could not afford to have more enemies. Not with God gone.

Across Kyoto, many youkai looked up to the sky, feeling the disturbance in nature before the power settled down. Still, a hint of the overwhelming aura of power lingered in the air, making every single youkai be on edge despite the somewhat familiar power they felt.

In Grigori, several Cadre sat together, in a solemm slience with their leader and a fellow Cadre missing. The three of them all had the same thought. Where was their leader, when they needed him most?

Abed stared down at the grey haired teen. There was something off about him, by that new confident, almost arrogant stance that he took in front of the fallen angel. Was this Narukami really that dumb to take him lightly? His arms were lax, dangling by his sides as that confident boderline arrogant smirk appeared on his face. "You are not really Narukami, are you?" He hypothesised.

 **"What gave it away?"** Yu watched in third person as Izanagi no Okami took on a cocky stance.

"That aura. It wasn't there before."

 **"Fine. Maybe I'll tell you who I am, if you can keep up."** If Abed's speed had been godlike, then Izanagi no Okami's speed was beyond godlike. Even without the use of wings, he was simply that fast. Could his body even take it? The next thing Abed knew was pain as a sword landed itself into his gut, only able to parry a single sword.

 **"Your body can handle it."** Izanagi no Okami assured him. **"I am still confined by the limits of your body after all. I'm merely pushing it to the near breaking point."** That didn't exactly assure him, but he watched as Abed got kicked away like a ragdoll.

 **"Is that it? I come out to fight a fallen angel who can't even take a fraction of what Yu Narukami could?** He taunted, as Abed slowly got back up. This was no longer a battle. Another kick sent Abed sprawling into the ground. A sword sent into his gut. Another one aimed at his head. It was a massacre, with Abed being the only victim as he was beaten down another time.

"Kill me then. What are you waiting for? We both know that you've won this battle." He held his arms out, admitting his defeat.

 **"You just want to die, don't you? You fight without any real purpose, hoping to find someone who would willingly kill you one day."** Quickly analysing Abed, it was true what Izanagi no Okami had said. It was without the shadow of a doubt, as Abed's near lifeless orbs bored into the gaze of his. Without a true purpose to fight for.

"I lost that purpose a long time ago. Maybe that kid will hold onto his, unlike me." With that final statement, Abed did something that even his ultimate Persona couldn't predict. He jerked his head forth, causing the sword that had been barely touching his forehead to pierce through the brain.

 **"Well. That happened."** Izanagi no Okami conmmented, pulling the sword out of the brain. There was something that Yu noticed about the face of the now deceased Abed. There was a small smile, as if he had no more regrets in the world.

"Can I have my own body back?"

 **"Before I go, remember this. I am thou, thou art I. The consequences of me appearing, even for a short period of time are going to be quite... large, to say the least."** Those words again. It seemed that Igor had been talking about the consequences rather than the way to defeat Abed. Well, it couldn't be that bad, could it? **"You have no idea.** "

Sighing, he felt himself take control once more. Time to go help the others. Flicking the blood from the swords, he looked at Abed one more time. "I'll never lose sight of my purpose. This I swear. Surt! **Ragnarok!"** It was the least he could do for the fallen angel, a quick funeral pyre. Abed had managed to remind him of his purpose, to never lose sight of it no matter what. A life without a purpose was meaningless after all. As the flames of Surt finished its job, Yu walked off, never once looking back at the ashes that were being scattered by the wind.

Akira's POV

He had finally reached the battlefield where Kokabiel was, the area behind the Old School Building. The wooden building had not been spared, currently in shambles. The twin heiresses had no doubt made an attempt to fight back along with their Queens, but the attempt to do so had been pathetic, to say the least given the lack of wounds on the Cadre. Meanwhile, they were all panting and had injuries, in bad shape. It seemed that fate loved screwing with him. Sighing, he fired off three bullets in quick sucession. He had to admit, the prediction skills he had were really useful here as Kokabiel flew off in an attempt to dodge.

The first clipped his wing, crippling his flight while the second bullet struck the arm that had nearly manifested a light spear to counterattack. The last bullet had been cut into half by Kokabiel, having barely enough time to do so. "I was wondering when you would show up." Kokabiel quipped as he quickly healed himself. Damm, he healed faster than Serena. This was going to be so much harder.

"Well, sorry for not showing up sooner." The sardonic response made Kokabiel chuckle. Without saying anything, he snapped his fingers. A barely visible hemisphere covered the two of them, with a blue hue to it. With a single look, Akira could tell that breaking this barrier was going to be near impossible. Rias attempted to blast the barrier open with the Power of Destruction, but it simply caused a tiny ripple, nothing more.

"This barrier's designed by yours truly, and it will not open up until one person has died. Quite effective, don't you think?" He gestured to the barrier.

"How much can it take?"

"Even Sirzechs Lucifer hard pressed to make a dent in this barrier. I would explain the specifics of this barrier, but it would take too long. Feel free to go wild, as we fight to the death." Akira clicked his tongue. He didn't think that Kokabiel would have a failsafe for the deathmatch that they were about to have. Though, that brought about another question. Why was he so desperate to have this deathmatch, to the point when he made such a barrier?

Well, at least he didn't have to hold back anymore. Still, Kokabiel was not tp be underestimated. "Mot! **Concentrate!"** Using his free hand, he yanked out his mask for Mot to quickly perform the skill.

"Mot? That's an interesting one."

"It's not all I have." He responded, firing several shots before dismissing the gun as Kokabiel skillfully evaded the shots, dashing forth.

"Then show me what you have." The two met in a battle of strength, with Akira having changed to another weapon. Gungnir was his weapon of choice, seeing the denser light spears that Kokabiel held in his hands as compared to Serena's. The heavier weapon made of Uru metal would surely be a better option.

A brutal kick by Kokabiel sent him back by a bit, but he quickly recovered to block a light spear that would have gotten him. Something was off, about Kokabiel. "You had a power boost, didn't you?" There was no other explanation for the aura of power that seemed to explode forth that wasn't there in their previous meetings.

"Gulity as charged." The aura of power was clearly similar to the one that Riser gained after doping in their deathmatch, but Kokabiel seemed to have recieved a more significant boost as compared to Riser. "It's from the Dragon of Inifnity." Ophis was handing out power boosts? He didn't exactly understand it.

"Why would she be giving out something like this?"

"I'll give you a hint. She's heading an organisation." That wasn't exactly helping much. Perhaps if he could find Azazel after this battle, he would be able to get something out from that bastard. That was, if he managed to survive. Another deadlock, and Akira was thankful for that fact that he had used Heat Riser before entering the area. Kokabiel's superior strength was being countered by the strength buff that he gained from Heat Riser.

He needed another advantage, as he and Kokabiel were fighting evenly despite the both of them not going all out. Still, he was at the very least matching blow for blow. **"From above!** " Trusting Arsene, he moved back several steps, narrowly dodging the light spears that had missed their mark. Kokabiel was certainly on a different level, to be able to manifest light spears without a hand and without him noticing. Forced back to near where the heiresses were, he thought for a second.

"I am stupid." He wanted to hit himself for not realising it earlier. Kokabiel's power boost was by a dragon, so a dragon slaying sword would be much better than Gungnir.

"Figured something out?"

"Yeah, unfortunately for you." Dismissing Gungnir, he summoned another weapon, this time a sword. A sword, fully sheathed, appeared on his left arm. He could heard several loud gasps through the barrier, and he could easily understand why. The elegance of the sword required no words to be described. The sheath was simple, a black design with a fleur de lis in the middle and a cross design on the guard. Pulling it out, he let the devils and fallen angel present savour the appearance of the sword. It was deceptively simple, a sliver blade, with a black hilt amd jewel embedded in it.

He held it with two hands as the forger intended it to be, dismissing the sheath in the process. "By Lucifer..." Sona was the first to speak up. Even so, she was amazed by the magnificience of it. It was to be expected. Akira had also been in awe when he first saw it.

"So I take it that you're starting to get serious now? Then let me do the same." Repeating the words that Siegfried was feeding to him, he raised the sword up high above his head.

"O sword, let thee be filled..." Meanwhile, Kokabiel was manifesting a light spear, even larger than Akira had expected. The sheer density and size of it shook him, and he knew that this attack was going to change the tide of the battle. He needed to make it count. The jewel began to glow, releasing a twillight aura. As Kokabiel threw the ridiculously large light spear at him, he cried out a single word, as the affinity of the sword changed. "Balmung!" A cresent wave of energy flew forth, as both of them met, each trying to overpower the other.

Balmung was the sword that Siegfried had used to slay the Gigantis Dragon, Fafnir. This meant that it had enchanced dragon slaying properties, and this would certainly be useful against Kokabiel's power boost. With its ability to change affinity with the user's desire, it was potent. To make things somewhat easier, he had chosen to take on the demonic affinity, making the attack stronger.

Even so, it seemed that Kokabiel had managed to somehow fine tune a light spear. The light spear rippled through, as if distributing the damage that was supposed to cut through within one go and destroy anything within its path. Currently, both attacks were generating heat, and currently unable to oerwhelm each other. It seemed that the Concentrate hadn't been consumed when he used Balmung. To think that a light spear could stand up against an shockwave produced by Balmung, Kokabiel's prowess was truly terrifying.

However, as he had been enchanced by a dragon, the minute amount of the dragon energy in the light spear made it such that his attack was more vulnerable than it was should have been. That was the deciding factor that allowed Balmung's attack to finally began cutting through the light spear that attempted to hold back the unstoppable shockwave. Without the structure to disperse damage properly, the light spear was cut into half, like a hot knife through butter as the cresent shaped shockwave flew towards Kokabiel.

Kokabiel, knowing that attempting to block or form a barrier was useless, tried to dodge it insteas. However, he didn't fully make it as he was caught by the tail end of the wave, causing quite an impressive explosion.

Deciding that Balmung would no longer be useful seeing how he couldn't wield a great sword to save his life, he ditched it, swapping it out for the Kaito Gentleman. Watching with bated breath as the smoke cleared, Kokabiel emerged from the smoke, not unscatched with a few gashes here and there, nothing more. Still, Akira considered it a minor victory as he did not feel as much of the menancing aura coming off from Kokabiel. It seemed that Balmung had done its job well and helped to even the odds.

"Clever. Forcing me to give up my power boost to fight on more even ground." If he had to guess, Kokabiel had used it as a shield to avoid taking too much damage on himself. Both fighters now watched each other, trying to anticipate the next move made.

Kokabiel was the first to move once more, speeding along the outskirts, light spears forming around him before flying off to take down Akira. Not willing to be felled by such petty tricks, he dodged the first few, bringing up his knife just in time to parry a blow from Kokabiel before trying for a kick at the shin, retreating his foot just in time as it nearly got decapitated.

Two light spears aimed at his heart, he dodged them before bringing out Nataraja to shoot a few bullets out. He had limited ammo with the gun, only being able to bring two extra magazines along with it. At least he could go all out now, but still he had to conserve it for an more opportune moment. "Why are you so desperate, Kokabiel? Why do this?"

He stared at Akira morunfully for a second, not willing to answer it. "You wouldn't understand it. When God died, a part of us died within as well." Ignoring the shocked gasps from outsise the barrier, he continued on. "When God gave us life, he essentially gave himself a part of us. The part that gave us a specfic purpose in our desire, in our entire eixstence. That part died, and now we've been slowly decaying, with no way to heal it all. Ask a lowly two winged one or Michael or even Azazel this, and they'll tell you the same. There was only one exception however." The bitterness was obvious in the tone, as if he envied the angel or fallen angel.

"Who was it?" He couldn't hold back the taste of bile in his mouth, having guessed the answer already.

"Not many know of his name. He already retired even before the Great War, choosing not to even participate in it at all. Very few records of him exist outside the Grigori. After all, he wasn't really created by God himself but more of a by product than anything. And that's putting it loosely."

"Well, fuck." He cursed himself once more as he let his mouth slip. He really had to keep his mouth in control during battle. Well, what was said had been said already. Rias and Sona had both no doubt heard the slip. There was no point i hiding it anymore.

Kokabiel took that as a sign for something. "So what exactly are you, Akira Kurusu?" He questioned curiously.

"I guess I can finally tell you now, huh? You're smarter than most people. I am Satanael, as much as Satanael is me." He responded, showing off the gun before dismissing it.

"You aren't lying, seeing how your shooting style is exactly the same as his. That's something that no one could ever replicate, no matter how hard they tried." This further proved his smartness, seeing how Kokabiel chose to point out the evidence first before speaking. "So Akira Kurusu, or should I say Satanael?"

"Just Akira."

"You know, I'm envious. I envy the fact that you cannot truly feel what it really means to be a fallen. When we fall, it's like constantly falling into a bottomless pit, with no end or ground in sight until we near the end of our lives." Akira frowned as he realised why so many fallen angels chose to follow Kokabiel.

"Now you see why I was able to get so many fallen angels. They are promised the sweet release that is death, the release that finally allows them to hit the ground, finally being able to meet our beloved Lord once more. To not have a purpose in life, not not even have a particular destination. Do you know what it feels like?"

"To be honest, to some extent." Akira admitted. "It was after I had been framed for assault. Ripped away from my family, no true purpose other than to spend a year at an accademy that didn't even really want me in the first place. No one to find solace in, no one to guide me. I can understand your pain, Kokabiel."

In that moment, two battle hardened warriors found solace within each other on the battlefield, both being able to understand each other to a certain extent, though having different experienced that redefined their lives. They had both suffered to a certain degree, leading those that had smilar problems to theirs.

"Maybe. Had we met differently, I would have not intiated this plan." Akira gave a sincere smile at Kokabiel's words.

"This is the lot that fate has dealt us, and we can do nothing but go along with it." Akira responded sadly, twirling the knife once more before dashing forth, choosing to takr the offensive.

 **A/N: Yeah. Pretty shit chapter yadda ya da ya. Lel. In all honesty, this is slightly rushed because I'll be heading overseas for Chinese New Year to meet my relatives so I'm trying to get out my ideas before my brain overloads thinking on how to handle my relatives. So after the end of the Kokabiel fight, it will be on a two-three week hiatus.** **As usual, if you guys have any comments or want something or see room for improvement, do leave a review! I might even factor in some requests if its possible.** **Quick random ass question #3: I'm thinking of doing another crossover with Persona after I finish up the Young Devils Gathering Arc (cuz I havent read finish the manga). The ones that I feel like doing are : Persona x Campione, Persona x Fate Stay Night and Persona x Bleach. Which one do you guys wanna see? Leave a review!** **Songs:** **Lookas Able Heart - On My Own** **Bad Computer - Disarray** **Matroda - Shut it Down** **Atlas Plug - Around the World** **Persona 4 Dancing All Night Theme Song - Dance** **Persona 5 OST - Whims of Fate**


	18. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Anger Management Issues

 _Time frames and locations_

 **Persona Skills and Speech**

[Dragon Speech/Boosted Gear Skills]

POVs

 _Kuoh Academy, Sunday Night_

Akira's POV

The first feint after the dash was something that Kokabiel didn't fully anticipate as he failed to bring up his light spear in time to parry the incoming blow, allowing Akira to quickly perform another feint, before kicking him away and sending some bullets his way with Nataraja. To his credit, Kokabiel managed to recover in time and somehow dodge the bullets before rushing forth.

Reaching to pull his mask, the cry of "Persona!" went up as another one was summoned. Standing behind Akira was someone that many would not be familiar with. Not with that unfamiliar form of his. Yet, it was the one that he preferred most. He didn't really want to use his Personae, but if it was the key to victory, so be it. **"Eigaon!"** Slamming his hand down, Arsene summoned a pillar of devilish energy that seemed to erupt forth from the ground, clipping Kokabiel due to the raw speed the technique had. Damm. He had hoped for that to fully hit Kokabiel, as he had been concentrated earlier.

If he were to be honest with himself. He hated it. He detested it. He hated the fact that he was here, fighting Kokabiel to the death with his goddamm preaching of everything. Why? Why was he supposed to be the one to fight, with no simple way out? Why? Kokabiel's preaching had veen annoying, and he hated it. All he wanted to do was to live a normal life, perhaps hook up with Makoto or Ann, maybe even Haru, but that had been thrown out of the window the moment he got framed. Without realising it, his eyes began to turn a light shade of red, gradually getting darker as his anger reached new heights, detesting and hating every single thing that has happened to him so far. Fuck. Everything. That was his only line of thought as he pulled out his gun to fire rapidly at Kokabiel.

"What's wrong now, Kurusu? Don't tell me you're getting angry?" Kokabiel taunted. The response he got from Akira was a low growl, with anger and hatred in it.

"I've had it with your damm preaching. If God is dead, so be it. The world still moves on without Him. The fallen angels die, so what? We humans will still continue to live on, to evolve. Same goes for the other races. So why do this, Kokabiel?" He managed to get out between breaths, with each word the venom in his speech getting stronger. His eyes were now a crimson red, so red that it could match the colour of blood. His eyes, they longed for Kokabiel's blood. Kokabiel was the reason why he was dragged back into this mess. And he would pay!

Kokabiel could have left him alone, but no! He chose Akira of all people, who simply wanted his goddamm freedom back. Being caged and forced to make decisions was something that he personally hated, though he never showed it. He had to be the leader that kept everyone together, that prevented others from going astray, always hiding behind a mask and never revealing his true self. He had been surpressed for far too long, and nothing would stop him from releasing his true self now. And Kokabiel would be the first to feel his wrath. That, he swore on his life.

"You dare to be so nonchalant about the Lord's death?" Evidently, Kokabiel had been shocked by Akira's outburst, stopping his next attack and choosing to instead hover a few inches above the ground and listen to his words, though his grip on the light spears tightened.

"Is that so shocking, Kokabiel? I've faced off against Yaldabaoth. I could have come to the conclusion that God was dead by myself when Yaldabaoth managed to accumulate so much power, with me still being able to defeat him and the fact that Kiba has a sword that has contradicting elements. All this still proves that even without God, the world moves on. So what? The world evolves, and it's almost as if God isn't needed anymore."

"Not needed anymore?" Kokabiel screeched out, only to hear laughter coming out from Akira's mouth.

"Well, fuck you, Kokabiel. Why don't you just accept it? I'm merely stating the facts." In a moment of emotions clouding his judgement, he did something that no one spectating expected. He flipped the bird in front of Kokabiel. Apparently, that was the final straw as Kokabiel moved forth at insane speeds, almost disappearing from Akira's vision. Still, his reflexes were fast enough to block the blow.

"You will pay for such blasphemy!" Akira sighed, he wanted to end this as fast as possible. Come to think of it, it would be wise to not use any of his Justice Personae as well as Sandalphon and Gabriel now, given how his words that had slipped his mouth might have angered them. He could feel the quiet and slowly steaming rage from them, almost as if daring him to summon any of them.

Sighing once more, he ripped off his mask as Kokabiel began to come in for another attack. **"Deathbound."** With a roar from the grosteque being that was Abaddon, a purple ripple of arms flew outwards, hitting the hovering Kokabiel in the process before dispersing itself as it reached the edges of the barrier. If the beings of Heaven wouldn't assist him now, then the denizens of Hell would probably be more than willing to do so with that short but powerful speech he just gave.

 **"Concentrate."** He declared, ripping out his mask as Alice came out, spinning in a circle. Dismissing her, Akira brought up his knife just in time to block another blow from Kokabiel, before leaping back to dodge the kick that aimed for his legs. Kokabiel had gotten significantly faster than before, and there was obviously more strength to his blows. It was amazing what anger as a motivational tool could do. It made him say some stupid things and released both their shackles that restrained their true power.

How long had he been since he felt this free? Never, was the answer as he and Kokabiel clashed swords again, engaging in a dead lock. "You, foolish human. You will pay for denying the God who granted your race life!" Kokabiel said through gritted teeth, pushing back Akira in a sudden burst of strength. That was all Kokabiel to fly back a short distance needed to say his incantation. "And when he came forth, the Lord said 'Thou shalt be purged!'"

Before Akira could do anything, he felt it first, before he saw it. The searing heat that seemed to come forth into existence from nowhere, followed by the white hot flames that came along with it, radiating heat that was worse than the lava generated from Blazing Hell. Well, fuck. That was his line of thought as he saw the flames heading his way. He didn't even have time to swap to a fire immune Persona or resist. Even so, it didn't seem to help, given how the flames appeared to be more divine in nature than anything, making it an Almighty attack. With nothing to defend and not enough time to cast a Makarakarn, he was forced took the attack head on, his entire being engulfed in a sea of flames.

"That's your punishment for slandering the Lord. Perish." Just for insurance, Kokabiel summoned a shower of light spears, sending it into the flames that slowly died down. Was it his imagination but did another, seperate explosion occur in there? He didn't care. The foolish boy was already dead, and that was all that mattered. As he turned away to face the heiresses, he noticed something odd. The barrier. It was still present. Shouldn't it be down? Unless...

A raspy cough was heard from his back. "Hey, Kokabiel!" Akira smirked as he stood up, the flames around him dying out. "You failed to finish me off."

"How is it possible?" He enjoyed seeing the look of distress on Kokabiel's face, though he was quite badly wounded himself. His clothes were burnt, his signature trench coat singed as the front part of his shirt and his sleeves burnt off, revealing his toned body covered with burns. His pants were coveres in soot, having a few burnt patches here and there. A few bloody holes were all over his body, one on his upper arm, the other on his leg and the third in his upper torso and the fourth in his gut. The only reason why he had still managed to survive was because of the fact that he casted a Megidoloan with himself as the epicenter, the raw divine power stopping all but four of the light spears and some of the flames that had already struck him. He had learnt that such attacks wouldn't harm him in any way in the Metaverse, and had gambled on that fact in hopes of it working in real life.

"I don't..." He coughed out some blood. "Have much time left. But I'll bring you down if it's the last thing I do. **Fusion Spell, Armageddon."** Akira admitted, before declaring the spell, ripping his mask off with his less wounded arm, which had second degree burns covering it. This was his first trump card, the fusion spell that he had discovered from Yu on their way here. What he had failed to mention was that he had both Satan and Helel, the latter being the latest Persona he got from Issei as the Aeon Arcana. Second was obviously the Sinful Shell, but Akira hoped that it wouldn't come to that.

As the two appeared, Akira knew that he was taking a risk. Helel was the angelic aspect of Lucifer, which meant that he might be mad at Akira for those words. Not only that, he didn't have enough energy for another move after this. He had to make it count. As Helel waved his hand, Satan roared. Akira grinned tiredly, blood coating his teeth. He could feel his spiritual power being drained all the way, which had not happened since Kamoshida's palace. Hopefully this spell was strong enough to take Kokabiel down.

To understand what Armageddon could do, it was crucial to understand what law and chaos were first. That had been one of the requirements that Satan and Helel had demanded. Law couldn't exist without chaos, and vice versa. That had been the main point and he had understood that easily. Chaos would always exist despite law present. Chaos was the free will to do anything and everything, while Law was all about sticking to the rules with limited freedom. The next requirement had been a massive spiritual reserve, which Akira had. His spiritual reserve exceeded even that of Ann's, who was the most magic orientated of the team.

Last had been the hardest. To understand what Armageddon truly was. Armageddon was not just any fusion spell. It was probably the strongest that he could come up with, if Yu hadn't told him. Two contrasting elements could create quite the result after all, as proven by Kiba's Sword of the Betrayer.

A whirlwind trapped Kokabiel in a small area. This was the representation of the law that kept everything in place. A lightning storm began to occur, lightning striking down nonstop. This represented the chaos that would exist within the boundaries of law, now and forever. He could feel the sheer power of the spell from here, that lightning and wind was beyond the highest wind and lightning tier skills that he had in his arsenal. No wonder Yu spoke so highly of this skill.

As the lightning storm finally stopped after what felt like an eternity but was in fact a few seconds, the wind dissipated, revealing a heavily injuried Kokabiel. Akira would have gotten his wounds healed by Ishtar, if not for the fact that they were so serious. Even Gods had limits when it came to such heavy injuries, and Ishtar would certainly take too long to heal the wounds until he was out of danger of dying.

"So... one last attack?" Akira could tell that Kokabiel wasn't in any good shape and wouldn't be to escape the wrath of Sirzechs in time. Akira was already dying with all the lethal wounds that had been inflicted on him. It was through sheer willpower that he still stood up. Both knew the dire situation they were in. It was simply a matter of who would go first. Nodding wordlessly, he pulled out Nataraja, dismissing Arsene's knife as Kokabiel formed a light spear on his hand.

As Kokabiel arched his arm back, Akira's finger began closing in on the trigger. With some sort of unknown signal, Kokabiel threw his light spear with all his might, while Akira pulled the trigger. The light spear that Kokabiel threw was immediately destroyed, and the bullet struck the heart of Kokabiel, the Star of God who fell down.

"How did you break the light spear? I reinforced it as much as possible." Kokabiel asked, breaths getting heavier as he gasped, blood flowing from his chest, adding on to the scars that the lightning had given him as he fell down.

"I didn't fire one bullet. I fired two." Akira admitted. It was lucky for him, as he had just ran out of ammo after the second bullet was fired. "The first bullet managed to shatter the light spear with the force and pressure from the second bullet."

"I... see." Kokabiel closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I let my anger get the best of me." Akira, clutching his stomach, walked over to the downed figure of Kokabiel, who opened a single eye. He laughed, even though it pained him to do so.

"Don't... worry. It's not your fault, but mine. I was too hung up on the past. May the future shine brightly, without God." With those words, Kokabiel closed his eyes for the final time, his arm slackening as it hit the ground.

"Maybe. Maybe I'll see you soon." Akira muttered, falling over and hitting yhe dirt ground. His feet were too tired to carry him any longer, and the pain of his wounds were becoming too much to ignore. "Is this it?" That was his line of thought as Akira finally closed his eyes, not having enough willpower to keep them open anymore. His wounds were too serious, and he could feel his life slowly ebbing away.

Wait. When did he even have a life? His so called life probably had been predetermined by Fate itself. What a joke. Ryuji. Ann. Morgana.Yusuke. Makoto. Futaba. Haru. Still, he had been glad to meet all those people, along with his confidants. Those people had made him feel like he was living life properly, to its fullest, having gone through many different experiences with them. With those final thoughts, Akira Kurusu finally stopped breathing.

No one's POV

Ignoring the fact that Kokabiel could still be possibly alive, the two heiresses, their Queens and the Exorcists ran towards the two fallen figures. "Oh.." Irina was the first to speak up, not being able to bring herself to say the rest. To say that Akira had been wounded badly was an understatement. None could fully describe the state of him, the one who had pretty much saved them.

"Rias! Sona! Where is he?" Ignoring the cry of Sirzechs Lucifer, the six of them still stared in shock at the corpse of Kokabiel and the non breathing body of Akira. "Are they dead?" The timid voice of one of the devils flanking Sirzechs broke through the defeaning silence.

"Kokabiel's dead, as far as I can tell. As for Akira though..." Sona trailed off, unwilling to finish her analysis. Of course, no one wanted to speak the obvious, as his chest wasn't moving.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Heal him!" The shout of Sirzechs snapped the other devil accompaning him, obvious a medic, into action. Moving quickly to his side, he placed a palm on his chest. A small surge of electricity was discharged from his hand and into Akira's body.

The second devil was horrified at the amount of damage that Akira had suffered, having used the small electric pulse to analyse his wounds. "By Bael... How did he even survive?"

"Well? How is he?"

"Internal bleeding, a punctured lung and fractured trachea, liver damaged partially, second degree burns all over his arms and legs. Shattered bones in upper arm and and lower leg." He reported. A Sitri teleport circle appeared under Akira, ready to transport him to the Underworld. "The best we can do is to send him to Sitri territory and have them patch him up as much as possible. Even then, he's got a slim chance of surviving at best. By right, he shouldn't even be alive right now."

"Then take him there. That's the least we can do for him." Nodding his head, the two devils disppeared in a flash of blue.

"So what happens now?"

"We're currently clearing out most of the fallen angels and giving first aid to the fighters. Then it's going to be politics from here on out. Michael and Azazel aren't going to be pleased, as well as the rest of the devils. Dammed elders and their attitudes. Akira's going to play a major factor in this, if what I feel is correct."

"What do you mean what you feel?"

"Be straight with me here, girls. Was there an angel here?" They all kept silent, until Rias could take the scrutinizing gaze of her brother no longer and caved in to the pressure.

"Akira summoned it." Her voice was hoarse and barely above a whisper, but Sirzechs heard her loud and clear. "He ripped off that mask of his, and the angel appeared. Seraphim class no less. Not only that, he also summoned some grosteque creature that I can't even begin to describe. But the roar. It was terrible. Almost like it was anger incarnate. Never have I ever felt so powerless."

Sirzechs Lucifer pinched the bridge of his nose, of course the kid had to summon an unknown variable. But anger incarnate? That was new. Then again, he should have expected it. First, he had demostrated the ability to summon two Dragons who were in leagues of their own, then a God, youkai and some of Hell's finest. And now an angel of all things. No doubt that he had summoned even more during the fight. Not only that, his reflexes alone could easily be on par with his own, and that was saying a lot. His armoury of two guns and one sword was lethal enough as it stood, with one designed to deal with devils specifically., and he had felt like he had seen the sword somewhere.

"Come on, let's get the lot of you patched up then we can talk more about this." Deep down, he couldn't help but feel that this event had merely been a catalyst for something bigger. And one Akira Kurusu would be at the center of it all. Why couldn't the life of a Maou ever be easy? Sometimes, he wished that he hadn't taken up the mantle.

 _A week later, Kuoh City_

Yu's POV

Yu stared out into the vast expanse of the small town blankly from the penthouse suite that his parents had gotten for the trip to Kuoh. It was an investment made by his father years ago seeing how he kept frequenting the small town for business. He sighed, his eyes finally settling on Kuoh Academy. The swords of Yoshitsune laid on the table in the balcony, the stainless steel shining brightly, light reflecting off the blade as the sun set over the horizon.

It had been a week since the battle of Kuoh Academy had been fought, and no news of Akira's condition had risen ever since he was declared to be in a comatose state. In fact, his fellow wildcard was being hooked up to machines that barely kept him alive. "He shouldn't even be alive.." Those same words kept repeating and haunting him. Damm it. If he had finished his fight with Abed a little bit quicker, then he might have been able to do something.

He hadn't told his friends of the incident, no doubt they would ditch everything and rush here as soon as possible. It had been only a day or two since he was released from a hospital that the Sitri apparently owned in this area. His friends could perhaps wait another day or two. No point making them worry now. He doubted that even the healing power of Ishtar could bring him back from the brink of death. The only being that could possibly do so would be Death itself, but he didn't have access to Thanatos.

Sighing, he pulled out his phone. Nothing fancy, merely a Samsung phome. His finger was pressed onto a contact, unwiling to slide it to the right, but he did it anyways. Rise deserved to know what her boyfriend had gone through over the last few days. The phone rang for a few seconds, before it connected.

"Yu! I missed you! How have you been?" The ever cheerful voice of Rise rang through the speaker, and he had never been more glad in his life that he put his phone slightly apart from his ear.

"Stuff happened. I'm currently in Kuoh now, but something happened a couple days back." He decided to play safe and not reveal the fact that all mythology existed first.

"Kuoh? Oh you mean that town you were going to with your parents? What happened?" Rise had no idea that a bomb was about to be dropped upon her.

"Oh, nothing much. Just discovered another fellow wildcard who's on the verge of dying, fought a few hundred fallen angels. Nothing much." Yu smirked as he could tell that she was pouting at her end. An easy victory for him.

"Jesus, Yu. Stop trolling like that. And what do you mean by fallen angels?"

"Well, they're angels who've fallen because of sin. They have varying power levels, with two winged ones being the weakest and twelve winged ones being the strongest." Yu sighed, this was going to lead to some form of chaos.

"Wait. If they are angels who've sinned, then does that mean that there're angels? And devils too?"

"Got it in one, Rise. Normally I'll tell you more but it's better if I say it face to face. It's quite hard to explain over the phone. All I can say now is I fought a legion of fallen angels and discovered a wildcard, who fought the leader who was a ten winged. His name's Akira Kurusu, and he's currently near dead. They say that it's a miracle that he even lived up to that point."

"Oh." Was all Rise could say as she slowly digested the information that had been spoon fed to her. It was all too much to take in. Sure, she had fought in a metaphysical area of sorts and gained a Persona. But to know that her boyfriend had fought a literal army of supernatural beings was disturbing to say the least. "How about you? Are you ok?"

"I got treated for some injuries, nothing too serious. I'm going to be in Kuoh for two more weeks or so, I guess before we head back to Tokyo. But I might be transferring to the college here, depending on my parents."

"Ah, perfect timing! I'm coming to Kuoh tomorrow for a photoshoot, so I'll see you?" To be honest, Yu couldn't wait to see Rise once more. It sucked that they had to be far apart with Rise'e occupation, but that was just the way it was. Plus, just hearing the hopeful tone in Rise's voice made him want to see her once more.

"Of course, Rise." He smiled warmly. Glancing at the setting sun once more, a single name ran through his mind. Amateratsu. He frowned. Why was he thinking of that name? Sure, it was the name of the Japanese Goddess of the Sun, but why? Ignoring the weird thought he just had, he decided to instead stare at the setting sun. It was quite a rare sight for him, and he wished to relish it as much as possible before night took over. Tsukuyomi. Another name ran through his mind. Paying no mind to that, he chose to focus on the call instead.

"Well, see you tomorrow then, Yu! Love you!" As the call disconnected, he looked up at the slowly darkening sky. Maybe he should go talk to Mitsuru a bit. Still, he couldn't help but worry for Akira. Wildcards like him and Akira were ridiculously resillent, but the fact that they were only humand who didn't have an enchanced body unlike other races still stood tall.

The speaker that was implanted on the wall began speaking. Such was the sytem whenever something concerning the penthouse occured.. "Narukami-san, you have a visitor in the form of Kirijo-san. Should I let her in?" Well, speak of the devil and she shall appear. Supposedly a devil in human skin, according to Junpei. Then again, he hadn't been 'executed' by her before and had no wish to be subjected to that.

"Let her in. Thanks, Kyu."

"You're too kind, Narukami-san." The speaker disconnected, and the elevator that led directly into his flat opened up soon after. There was something amiss, and he just couldn't think of it. Mitsuru was a friend to him, but why would she be here? She probably had better things to do like manahing her company than engaging in small talk with him. As soon as the figure of Mitsuru stepped into the balcony, he knew it.

"You're not Mitsuru." He had one sword aimed at her, ready to run through the smirking doppleganger. That near cocky smirk was something that he knew that Mitsuru would never pull out, ever. "Who are you?" Plus, that flickering visage of hers really helped, as his eyes were trying to perceive the truth hidden underneath that skin.

"What gave it away?" The illusion was finally broken, revealing a young man in his twenties with long spiky hair and gold eyes. He held a sheath, which obviously hd a sword, and the handle was an ornate gold and sliver.

"My eyes can only see the truth, no matter what. You weren't even trying with that illusion. It's either that or you are just that bad at illusions. And finally, I never gave my address to her." Yu responded, still holding the sword and poised to strike at any moment.

"Good to see that you've still retained your sharpness, father."

"Who exactly are you?" Father? That was a new term.

"Don't tell me that your memories have gone to waste after eons of solitude? You gave me this sword, remember?" He unsheathed the sword, revealing a razor sharp blade that had a few gems imbued on it. Damm, that was one fine sword. Daidara would be envious of it. A third name ran through Yu's mind.

"Susanoo?" It was spoken in a hushed tone, but the God of Storms caught it anyways.

"Like I said, glad to see that you've retained your sharpness, father." Before anything else could happen, Yu's grip on the sword loosened, and he let loose a howl of pain that could be heard for miles as he clutched his head.

 **A/N: Kappa. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter and leave a review if you guys think that it needs improvement or you want to see something.** **I know that this chapter's somewhat lacking so yeah.**

 **Quick side note. Didn't realise that Izanagi's appearance in DxD was insipred by Uchiha Madara lel.**

 **Also, do leave a review on which fanfiction crossover you want to see next cuz I haven't finish reading the Highschol DxD manga. Current options are : Persona x FSN, Persona x Bleach and Persona x Campione. (Maybe I'll add more if I feel like it. Also got a few unique ideas for the bleach one.)**

 **Songs**

 **Disarray - Bad Computer**

 **Push it - Apriskah**

 **Pegboard Nerds - Disconnected**

 **Pegboard Nerds - Pink Clouds ft Max Collins**

 **Persona 5 OST - Rivers in the Desert**


	19. Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Aftermath

 _Time frames and locations_

 **Persona Skills and Speech**

[Dragon Speech/Boosted Gear Skills]

POVs

 _Unknown Place/Time_

Akira's POV

"So this is what death feels like?" Akira stared at the void that he was in. The lack of light was surreal, as he seemed to be floating or something like that. Though, he could make out some faint visage of a person in front of him.

"No, you aren't dead yet. What's the term they use? Ah, yes. On death's doors." The person spoke, and Akira swore that he had been grinning. And the way said person spoke, definitely not a human.

"Who are you?"

"Who am I? That's an interesting question. Tell me, who's powerful enough to intercept you on your way to death?" Akira stayed silent, every single possibilty running through his mind. Some far fetched, others not so.

He had managed to narrow it down to two options, though the mere thought of it was absurb. "There are only two possible options, as far as I can tell. You're either Great Red or Ophis, but I believe that you're Great Red." He responded slowly, choosing to go with his gut.

"Now I see what Ophis sees in you." A flash of light blinded blinded, revealing the Dragon of Dreams and him, standing in an endless void, where there was a mix of iridescent colours. It almost made him dizzy, as if he was inside a distorted kaldescope.

"Where is this place?" It amazed him, the vibrant and dull colours that contradicted each other shouldn't be mixing yet they did, creating a beautiful blend of colours that stained the landscape for as far as he could see.

"Welcome to the Dimensional Gap, kid. Or as Ophis likes to call it, her home."

"I can see why she likes to call it her home. It's... rather nice." He tried to find a word to describe the Gap properly, but failed. After all, something of this level of beauty was indescridable.

"I'll admit, it is a nice place to be in, but we're not here to talk about it. Instead, let me ask you something, kid. What is your dream?" Akira could not help but blink in a surprise for a second before remembering. Right, Dragon of Dreams. But what exactly was his dream? "Can't answer?" Great Red chuckled for a bit before speaking up once more. "Then let's start with this. What is a dream?"

"A dream is a series of thoughts, sensations or images occuring during sleep. It can also, however mean your ambitions or ideals." Akira stated the textbook answer that he always had.

Great Red nodded in approval at that answer. "Good. You know that at the very least. So, I ask of you again. What is your dream?"

"My dream?" He echoed the last part of the question. His dream. That had been something that he hadn't thought of for a long time. The last time he had a dream, it was right after his trial. His dream back then had been wanting to somehow change the world in his own way for the better so that others wouldn't suffer the same fate as him. But now? It felt like he didn't really have one.

"See, that is the thing." Derailing his train of thought, Great Red spoke up. "You used to have a dream, one so strong and fuelled by your indomitable will and passion that I simply couldn't believe my eyes." Great. So he had actually managed to attract the attention of the strongest being in the world even without meaning to before and during his time as a Phantom Thief.

Akira merely rolled his eyes as Great Red continued on. "So I decided to watch you. To see how it would unfold. The thing is, with dreams being one of my domains, I will gain power from people just having dreams. The stronger the dream, the stronger I become. See, I don't really care that much about power, but I want to see those dreams fulfilled and accomplished. I've seen so many shattered dreams that are non salvagable, but yours is a different case."

"In what way?"

"When you look at it from my perspective, I see the possibility, no more like infinite possiblities. Think about it for a second. Your dream was to change some hearts. Now that you've done that to help others who were once in smilar positions as you, what's next?" Akira stayed silent still, he didn't really have an answer for that.

Against Riser, he had fought to defend himself because of the foolish deathmatch that had been issued. Against Kokabiel, he had been fighting to maintain the fragile peace that had been threatened to be shattered. But he couldn't predict what came next. "I don't know." He responded.

"You still don't know? You do realise that you're nearing dying already? I merely stopped your soul from proceeding to the afterlife."

"What does it matter? I wouldn't be alive to make my dream come true anyway." He spat venomously, not caring that he had pretty much snapped in front of a being who could pretty much disappear from the face of the earth with only a flick of his finger. Then again, he was already almost guranteed dead, so why not do one more stupid thing before going out? **(Keep in mind that Akira is more volatile after last chapter.)**

"Ah, so you do have a dream. Mind telling me?" Ughh, why was he so damm persistent? But then again, that little gilmmer of hope laid there behind those emerald orbs, as if it was capable of granting his dream. Seeing no other option, he decided to tell him anyway. He still had to admire Great Red's persistence. Most would have probably given up on him. Taking a deep breath, he began to speak once more.

 _Penthouse,_ Sunday Evening

Yu's POV 

Damm. The pain was unbearable. That was all he could think. The searing pain felt like hot, sharp iron rods piercing his skin. "Father!" With surprising strength, he pushed away a concerned Susanoo, not caring that he had slammed said God into the wall. Thankfully it wasn't towards the railing. Also, he was also sure that Susanoo didn't miss the sorry look that Yu sent to him before he was fully dragged into his inner world.

 _Inner World_

Yu quickly took in the sight of his soul, and the three representations of Izanagi in front of him. "Izanagi? Magatsu Izanagi? Izanagi no Okami? Why am I here?" Quickly getting over the initial shock, he asked the first question that came to his mind. The three of them were all deathly silent at first, as if it was an omen for ill things to come.

Surprisingly, it was Magatsu Izanagi who responded first. **"We were hoping that your will would be strong enough, whelp. But it seems to have been not enough."** The rough voice of him struck Yu to the core."What do you mean not enough? And what do you mean by my will?" Confusion was etched on his face as he tried to process the words.

 **"Your body is not going to hold out much longer, unless we do something about it."** Izanagi no Okami spoke up next. **"When I possessed your body, I warned you of the consequences."** Yu nodded his head. **"See, thing is, having a God possess your body even for a short period of time can be deadly. Since a God, no matter how minor he or she is, is always definitely more powerful than a mortal because of the divinity a God has. This leads to the God leaving quite an strain on the brain since the brain has to act for a God instead for a human now. Thus, in many cases, it often leads to having conflicting identities and it can have disasterous results."**

"What kind of results?" Yu didn't want to ask, but he had to know what was happening to his body.

 **"Since the brain has been under so much strain, when the God leaves, it is unable to interpret who is currently in control, Narukami Yu or Izanagi no Okami and thus loses itself partially. The only way to stop it from happening is having a will that is strong enough to regain enough control over the brain. But as you now know, that didn't work out so well. If this goes on, in minor cases, you lose your sanity at most, having to live with double identites as well. In major cases, your brain explodes trying to comprehend the entire scope of things if nothing is done about it. Worst case scenario, you are erased from the plane of existence. No soul, no nothing. Everything that defined Narukami Yu would be gone."**

"Oh. So now I'm pretty much on the brink of death like Akira. Except that I die a true death." He managed to sum it up in two sentences, but still it didn't make it any more comforting that he was still going to die. "So what do I do then?" Dying didn't seem too fun after all.

 **"Oh, that's easy. We fight for dominance."** Yu muttered something incomprehensible, not wanting to fight his ultimate Persona. It was his ultimate Persona for a reason after all. **"Na, I'm joking."** He sighed in relief and annoyance. Of course his Persona had to have the same sense of humour as him.

"So what do I really have to do?"

 **"Take on an aspect of one of us.** **The aspect will help to stabalise your brain by acknowledging both of us, allowing you to stay as Narukami Yu while still being identified as Izanagi no Okami."**

"Wait. Why do I have to be identified as Izanagi no Okami?" That part confused him as well.

Izanagi no Okami looked away for a second, not wanting to meet Yu's eyes. Izanagi chose to spoke up now. **"When he took over your body, he basically announced his return through you. And we may or may not have ditched Takamagahara and make Amateratsu the leader of the Shinto faction. Then again, we did spoil her quite a bit."** Yu could only sweatdrop at the somewhat sheepish expression of Izanagi. Izanagi surely had balls of steel to do that to her own daugther who was basically the representation of the sun. Plus, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

"Wait a second, why do I have to take the blame of your own faults?" He randomly asked.

 **"I am thou, thou art I?** "Izanagi quoted with an unsure tone.

"Well, fuck." He cursed uncharacteristically again. "Susanoo's already here. I'm so screwed, aren't I?"

 **"Not yet. Susanoo tends to act on his own, so he's probably going to stay with you for a bit, until Amateratsu or Tsukuyomi or someone from the Shinto faction picks you up. Though I think they might send Kushinada-Hime. Last time I checked, he gets whipped by his wife quite easily."** Yu released a breath that he didn't know that he was holding, and thanked the Gods that he still had a small window of time before he was fucked.

"Well, if you say so." He responded unsurely.

 **"Alright, now that we got that out of the way, which aspect are you going to choose? We are still on a timer here, but thankfully being in your soul causes time to pass more slowly."**

"How do I say this?"

 **"Say what?"**

"Which one of you represents which aspect? You never told me that. It's kind of hard to say it, especially when I'm talking to three different aspects of the same God." Yu asked with a deadpan voice.

 **"It's a little bit tricky to explain fully, but I represent part of the past Izanagi, the time period just before the Shinto Trinity were born."** Magatsu Izanagi stated. **"Izanagi and Izanagi no Okami, that's when it gets a little harder. I don't really know how to say this, but they are both the same and different."**

"I suppose that I can figure it out later. We are still on a time limit after all."

 **"Ok, good. Now, pick your poison."** Yu pinched his nose and sighed once again. Sometimes he wished that his Personae hadn't picked up his sense of humour. It kind of sucked, tasting his own brand of medicine that he fed to people on a daily basis. _Izanagi(s) -1, Yu -0_

As he took another glance at the three aspects, who were all gazing at him as well, he made up his mind. "Well, if I'm going to be identified as Izanagi no Okami, then I might as well go for it." He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly as he spoke.

 **"Well, if you say so."** As Izanagi no Okami touched Yu's forehead, he began to feel another pain, but this one was worse, much worse than before. Unable to handle it, he fell to his knees, feeling as if he was being torn apart from the inside. **"Oh, I forgot to mention. It will hurt."**

 **"Er, don't you think it's already too late? He's already on the ground."** Izanagi informed his counterpart, who glanced at Yu, who was trying to hold back the screams of pain and flipped the bird at his ultimate Persona, who merely snickered. _Izanagi(s) -2, Yu -0_

 **"He can handle it."** With those words, Yu blacked out.

 _Lilith, Capital of Underworld, Sunday Night_

Sirzechs POV

Unfortunately, despite all the power he held, Sirzechs Lucifer could no longer hide the fact tht the Siege of Kuoh had happened. That was the reason why he, the military arm of the Underworld, stood in front of the 34 Pillar Heads with their Elders and the rest of the Maou, ready to give the much needed explanation that many had demanded.

"What is the meaning of this, Lord Lucifer? Why have you called this meeting only now?" The Agares Head called out in an accusing tone, brushing away the copy of the report that had been handed to him. "We all know that fallen angels attacked Kuoh. This is obviously a sign of war!"

"Not quite. It appears that Kokabiel had been acting alone, and we also have another factor that played a large part in the siege." Sirzechs stated calmly, having a staring contest with the head of the Duke ranked Pillar before he huffed and sat down.

"What would that factor would be?" Lord Phenex leaned forth, eager to hear it.

"Funny you should ask, Lord Phenex. It was none other than the slayer of your son, one Kurusu Akira. According to Rias Gremory, Sona Sitri and their Queens, it was him who engaged and killed Kokabiel in single combat. Currently, he is in Sitri territory, on the brink of death." Several gasps were heard, as the boy was obviously known for the strange power he wielded like breathing.

"I'm surprised that you haven't used a Phenex Tear." Zeoticus Gremory muttered, but it was heard by all present.

"All devil healing magic or items that we tried have been distinegrated on the spot before it could do its work. This can only mean that Kokabiel has probably hit the poor boy with a divine attack. According to one of the Exorcists on site, Kokabiel chanted a verse from the Bible before hitting him with some sort of flame attack. Only an angel could possibly heal him back." He didn't want to finish the last part of that statement, as he knew that dragons were too prideful to help heal a mere human and Tannin was now considered a Ultimate class devil/dragon.

"Sirzechs Lucifer. Before we proceed, I would like to ask something. An unfamiliar wave of power was also felt, according to the report. Have you identified who it is?" The question from Sitri caught Sirzechs off guard for a second, whose smile faltered for a bit before smiling again.

"We have identified the unknown power source. It was from a human named Narukami Yu, who was fighting an eight winged angel when it happened. Narukami Yu was one of the people that Kurusu Akira brought along to help fight against the fallen angels. Like him, this human is also neutral and wields the same power as Kurusu Akira but ultilises it in the form of cards rather than a mask." There was no point hiding this tibit of information, for they would discover it sooner. He could however, still hide his unofficial affilation with the Shinto faction for a bit more. They would definitely be in for a shock when those power hungry bastards found out. He only lamented the fact that he wouldn't be there to see their reactions.

"What is the meaning of this, Sirzechs Lucifer? There was the signature of a Seraphim level angel found there?" The shout of Zekram Bael slienced the muttering of all in the meeting room.

"It would appear that Kurusu Akira has demostrated the ability to summon an Angel as well, according to Rias Gremory." He responded coolly, even though he was beginning to sweat bullets. Zekram Bael was notoriously the hardest Elder that he had to deal with, and it was with good reason. After all, the House of Bael was of the Great King, and many had sworn their loyalty to Zekram Bael himself. Many a time, he had been forced to give way to said devil.

"I see." Thankfully, Zekram Bael chose to not pursue the issue anymore and chose to sit down instead. "Though, I am curious, Sirzechs Lucifer. What will you do from here on out? This has probably been leaked to the fallen angels and Heaven no doubt knows of it as well."

"Please flip to the last page of the report, and we will make a vote from there." Ignoring the puzzled looks that were shot to him, everyone in the room did as they were told.

"Are you serious? You want us to ally ourselves with the very beings that we fought against?" Ignoring the outraged cry of a random elder, he just spoke.

"If you read carefully, Lord Astaroth, you will notice that I mentioned that Kokabiel seems to have been working with a faction called the Khaos Brigade. With this alliance, I believe that we will be better equipped to deal with the faction. As it stands, despite our introduction of the Evil Pieces, we are still lacking in the manpower department as Ophis just happens to be the leader of the organisation. Also, much is still unknown about this Khaos Brigade." He paused for several seconds, letting that fact sink into the minds of everyone present for a few seconds.

"Well, this certainly changes things, Sirzechs Lucifer. If what you say is true, then we will need more ailles. However, are you sure that we should go ahead with this alliance?" Sirzechs smirked, he had already won Bael to his side. Zekram was merely checking whether Sirzechs would falter and let the devils be pushed around in the alliance. He understood the old man's sentiments, merely thinking for the devils.

"Yes, I'm sure. If it helps, I believe that Kurusu Akira will also choose to side with the alliance over Khaos Brigade should this alliance be given the green light. He responded, mentally sighing in relief. It seemed that he wasn't pushing against the idea. More mutterings were heard around the room, but they were slienced as Sirzechs called out once more. "Now, let us vote. Please raise your hands if you support the idea of an alliance with the fallen angels and angels."

As expected, Zekram Bael raised his hands, along with Lord Sitri and Zeoticus Gremory, before the rest began raising their hands up, some reluctant to do so but having no say in the matter. Seeing all the hands raised, he knew that he'd nailed it this time round.

"If there is no opposition, then we will proceed with the alliance. Myself and Serafall Leviathan along with my Queen will be attending the meeting in a week's time at Kuoh Academy. A Shinto God will be our meditator. If there is nothing else, meeting adjourned." As everyone else slowly began to get out of their seats and use their respective summoning circles, Sirzechs took this opprtunity to walk to Zekram, who had been sitting down, obviously waiting for the Lucifer.

"So, which Shinto God will be the meditator?" Sirzechs had been expecting the question. Zekram Bael did not like unknowns after all.

"Amateratsu herself. Supposedly she chose to come because she also has some other business to conduct in Kuoh."

"That's rare." Zekram responded before standing up. "I'll be expecting results at the conference. Don't disappoint me, young Lucifer." With that, he disappeared with a red magic circle under his feet. Sirzechs sighed in obvious relief, he hadn't expected Zekram to go along but thank Lucifer.

"That went better than I thought." His fellow Maou, Ajuka Beelzebub, stepped up and plopped himself on the seat once occupied by Bael.

"Yeah. Now we just gotta nake sure that the conference pulls through."

 _Kuoh_

Sojiro's POV

He was seriously getting too old for this shit.

After much persuading on his part, he had managed to get Akira's friends and Futaba to not dash straight into Kuoh to look for Akira. Instead, he had chosen to close Leblanc for a day or two, personally heading to the town itself. Thankfully Akira had managed to attach the contact number of Sona Sitri, making his job much easier as he managed to get into contact with her.

Now, he was waiting in a small park near the Academy. He had to admit, it was a nice little place to be in. He sighed, lighting a cigarette. He had missed the relaxing feeling of smoking one, especially since how busy he had become in the recent months. Exhaling, he watched the wisps smoke slowly float away into the air, dispersing into nothing.

He hummed a tune, not noticing the two shadows that covered part of the moonlit ground until they descended. "Sakura-san, I presume?" Turning around sharply, he found himself facing two bespectacled girls, both who resembled Makoto in the sense that they were serious in whatever they did.

"Yeah. Sona Sitri?" He responded in his usual gruff voice, choosing to stub the cigarette before tossing it into the bin.

"Yes. This is my Queen, Tsubaki." Nodding his head, he asked the most important question.

"So, where is Akira?" That question seemed to destroy the calm mood that had been put into place earlier, a tension filled one taking its place. Sona sighed, her violet eyes unable to meet Sojiro's black ones for a second before she shoved her glasses up.

"There's no easy way to say this, nor am I going to sugarcoat it. He's nearly dead as it stands. He's barely being kepy alive by our best machines." Being in the service sector for many years and being able to read people well enough allowed him to know that her voice nearly cracked at the end, but she didn't allow her emotions to overwhelm her stoic expressions.

"I... see." He didn't really know what to say either, honestly speaking. If Akira ever recovered, his friends and parents would no doubt take turns to beat him up all over again. Also, it seemed that this Sona had been ensnared by Akira as well. He would smirk, but now was not the time. "Thank you for taking your time to meet me, Sitri-san. I must go now."

"No problem. What will you tell his parents?" He stopped mid stride. He actually hadn't thought about that, and no doubt his parents were getting worried.

"Nothing but the truth. They deserve to know what their son has gone through." He stated with a tone of finality.

"A wise choice. Keeping them in the dark will bring nothing but more harm to them. Take this, Sakura-san." He found himself being given a slip of paper with an intricate circle on it.

"What is it?"

"A summoning circle for devils. Just focus your desires onto it and someone will be summoned to you. Do keep in mind that this is a one time use only."

"Thanks, Sitri-san. Though I don't think that I can accept such a gift."

"Think of it as a precaution. Tokyo is quite the hotspot for supernatural activities as well."

"I wouldn't doubt that anyday." If only those girls had known what had exactly transpired in Tokyo. Waving goodbye, he heard the sound of wings being unfolded. Sighing, he looked at his phone. Only 9pm. There was still time to go and talk to Akira's parents. Sighing, he pressed the call button. He would inform Futaba later. His parents were a higher priority right now.

He was seriously getting too old for this shit.

 **A/N: Yes. This is a slightly shorter chapter in case you were wondering. Currently in Malaysia for Chinese New Year right now so this is the last chapter I'll be posting for a bit.**

 **Fun Fact:** **In case you're wondering what Chinese New Year is, it's when the Lunar Calender reaches 1st Jan. Keep in mind that lunar calender is different from Western one.** **Also literally means Year's start in Ancient Chinese.**

 **Still thinking about those fanfic crossovers that I got so do try to vote! Current options being: Persona x FSN, Persona x Bleach and Persona x Campione.**

 **Songs(Went on a KUURO spree.)**

 **KUURO - Omen**

 **KUURO - Bandit**

 **KUURO - Fade to Black**

 **KUURO - Savage**

 **KUURO - Doji**

 **KUURO - Aamon**


	20. Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Aftermath Part 2

 _Time frames and locations_

 **Persona Skills and Speech**

[Dragon Speech/Boosted Gear Skills]

POVs

 _Penthouse Suite, Monday Afternoon_

Yu's POV

"Fuck, that hurt." He muttered to himself, slowly getting up. He never knew that his Personae were trolls, just like him. Then again, his Personae were a reflection of his own self. On the bright side, he wasn't on the verge of dying now, and he felt rather well rested and was rather confortable. Wait, comfortable?

He was currently sitting up in his bed, in his room. Huh. Susanoo must have placed him here after he got dragged into his inner world. Well, he would have to thank him sometime and probably clear things up. The only hard part now was to figure out where was Susanoo.

Stepping out of his bed, he sniffed himself. He hadn't taken a bath since yesterday night and now he stank badly. Looking at the bright sun, it was obviously afternoon already. Surely he could spare some time for a soak in the tub and some late lunch as well.

Having shoved a bowl of left over Oyakodon from last night into the microwave, he began stripping, not caring since he was probably alone in the house. He had his clothes and towel in the bathroom already, always having the habit to place a set there after he was done so as to not run into any akward situations.

His phone lay on the floor beside the tub, having slid out of his pants as he began to slowly immerse himself in the slightly scalding water. Which was really water past 80 Degrees Celsuis. Most wouldn't try to hit that threshold, for it was water hot enough to make hot beverages and cook cup noodles. But when you had tanked fire spells that could generate heat that was far worse, you tend to gain some form of resistance. He winced slightly as he remembered the time when Magaret popped not one, but several Prominences on his ass. That was certainly an experience that he wouldn't want to repeat again.

Come to think of it, he didn't really feel any different after taking on an aspect of Izanagi. His appearance hadn't changed, nor did he feel any sort of new power within him. Perhaps it took time for the changes to occur? He didn't know, but he didn't want to ask Izanagi(s). After all, where was the fun when all the answers were handed to you on a sliver platter? Not only that, he had his doubts that Izanagi(s) would give him a proper answer on what to really expect. He would have to figure it out himself.

Something was off however. He could feel a bond of sorts with him and Izanagi no Okami, which was weird in the sense that there shouldn't be a bond. The idea itself was simply ridiculous. He chose to dismiss it.

For now however, he needed to wash away the accumulated tension that had been there ever since Susanoo's uninvited but not unwelcome appearance. No doubt that people were going to be after him. All he could really do was to prepare for the worst, aka Amateratsu herself.

Sighing, he began to settle down. The warm water relaxed his muscles, as he allowed himself to lean back on the slightly uncomfortable wall of the tub, his head tilting back slightly. His phone buzzed, notifying him of a new text. Meh, he could always look at it later. Right now, all he really wanted was to relax.

 _Sitri Hospital_

Akira's POV

Akira wished that the flurry of activity that was happening in front of him would stop for a while. At least until he could fully regain his bearings to be able to pay attention to things properly.. It was hectic in the hospital room, to say the least.

He rubbed his head, which did little to alievate the incoming migraine that had stemmed from the noise being created. As the final footsteps faded out of his hearing range, the doctor turned to him with a gentle smile. "So how are you doing now, Kurusu-sama?" He shuddered at that formal honorific used for him. He was never one for such things, and the formal tone just didn't seem right.

"Just Akira will do."

"None can do, Akira-sama. You saved our mistress after all." She challeneged, not willing to back down on that honorific. Well, at least it was better than being called by his surname. Too formal for his taste.

"Fine. Where am I?" He relented and changed the subject, though he had an inkling on where he was. It still somewhat irked him, but it couldn't be helped. He frowned slightly. His emotions were beginning to surface once more. He didn't want that happening, not now at the very least.

"You're in the best hospital in the Sitri territory. You've been in a coma for the last week." She responded, taking down notes while muttering under her breath. "Patient is coherent enough to hold a short conversation, interesting..." Akira shuddered, he didn't want to be a test subject for people. Being one for Yaldabaoth had been enough to scar his life already.

"How do you feel?"

"Ok, I guess?"

She sighed at the unsure answer. "Look, do you even know what sort of injuries you sustained?" Akira could only shake his head at the question. She took a deep breath before ranting. "Punctured lung, fractured trachea, shattered bones, damaged liver. Not to mention internal bleeding caused by ruptured vessels and serious burns." She gestured to his badanged arms and legs.

If he had casted the Megidoloan a second later, who knows what would have happened to himself. He would have used a Null Light Persona to lessen the damage dealt to him if not for the fact that the light spears were considered both Light and Physical attacks, with Metatron confirming it himself. Since light spears were used by the angels for both throwing and melee weapons, it resulted in the damage taken being classified under both. And he didn't have any Personae which nulled or reflected both. He would have taken the same damage either way since light didn't really do too much to him.

"I think I do feel fine. No headache, only a slight itch on my arms." He responded firmly this time.

"If you say so." She muttered before placing a palm on his well chiseled chest, which was thankfully covered by a blanket. The hospital clothes that he was currently wearing hadn't been buttoned up. Was it on purpose? He couldn't help but notice the faint blush on the doctor's face.

"Are you really a doctor or are you simply trying to molest me?" He smirked as said doctor withdrew her hand like she had dipped it in boiling water. He had to admit, it was fun seeing people have this sort of reactions when he teased them, though there was certainly a limit that he hadn't crossed. Yet.

"No..." She trailed off. "I'm just using my magic to do scan your body's condition." The protest was there, and it was probably true.

"But who's to say that you can't scan other things with it? I'm just a defenceless patient, you know?" Her blush grew more crimson, and Akira knew that he had won. "Relax, I'm just messing around."

"I know." Clearing her throat, she continued her analysis. "Strange. How did you even? Some of these wounds should take ages to recover by right.."

"It's a secret. And I hear people coming." If the sound of multiple footsteps were of any indication of the crowd that wanted to see him and possibly beat him up. He didn't want to tell them about Great Red, especially when the dragon had told him to stay silent about his involvment for now.

He was nervous and somewhat scared, if he had to admit. Emotions were a fickle thing, especially anger. **"Let them."** Of course Satan would reveil in that. Leave it to the one who loved to use emotions to lure people into the pits of despair to enjoy it. The door opened, and sure enough, a swarm of people began to swamp the room like a tidal wave.

"Akira-senpai!" The first shout definitely belonged to Issei, for no one else would probably call him that.

"Yo. How are you all doing?" He glanced at the crowd, all spearheaded by one Sirzechs Lucifer.

"Better than you, if I dare say so myself." Sirzechs' smile and cheery mood was lost as he heard Akira's response.

"You look like shit, Sirzechs Lucifer. Had fun dealing with politics?"

"You're lucky that I was there to cover your ass." Sirzechs shot back, scowling since he knew that he had lost this round without any proper counter.

"Don't sweat it. Pleasure's all mine." He turned to the rest of the crowd, which had now surrounded his bed. It seemed that they had most of their injuries healed, with a few still having bandages over some parts of their body with the most prominent being Issei who had two over his arms.

"How'd you heal?" The first question came from Koneko in a few words, and he answered just as fast.

"Trade secret."

"What kind of beings did you summon against Kokabiel? I know that one was an angel, but what about the other?" Sona asked this one. This was quickly turning into an interrogation. He didn't feel like giving them a straight answer, and chose to equip Satan as his Persona and let his aura run rampant in the hospital room for a few seconds.

Satan was... dark, to put it simply. The thoughts that it generated were dark, meant to bring people to their knees and give in to despair by simply being around. Different people would feel different emotions, depending on how deep and buried their darkest emotion was. If he wanted to, he could even focus onto a single person, which took too much concentration for his liking. Without him holding it back, people would be easily affected even if it was not directed at them. Apparently the same held true for devils as some began to grit their teeth while others showed some form of tension in other ways as they tried to hold back their darkest thoughts that were being brought forth in their mind. Perhaps it was worse, since devils sinned in nature.

"W-what in the name of Lucifer?" As he finally reigned in Satan's despair and thoughts that nearly corrupted them, Akira watched as they all began to recover. It seemed that even Sirzechs and Grayfia had been affected by it, for the former's eyes were bulging with a weird facial expression as he tried to recover while the latter simply had her hand shaking. Grayfia either had extremely strong willpower or she simply didn't actually show how affected she had been. **"As expected."** Satan admitted begrudgingly. Did the Lucifuge have some sort of mental resistance?

"The kind of demons that lurk in my mind are not something to be trifled with. Even the weaker ones."

"So was that a weak or strong one?"

"One of the strongest. Even without appearing you all are already quite affected by it. A testament to his might" He answered Sirzechs' question. "I won't say anymore about this." He noticed Sona's mouth opening, about to ask about the omnimous aura.

"Very well then." Thankfully, they dropped the subject. He didn't want to reveal Satan and the other devils he had. Beelzebub had probably been identified when he first used it against Serafall Leviathan, and it was too risky to use it again lest someone else knew who it was as well. Lucifer was thankfully still a secret and no one could identify Satan for now.

"I suppose that it would be too much to ask to be discharged as soon as possible?" He wantd to get out of the hospital bed, as he did not liked being confined to a hospital. It just didn't feel right, along with a whole bunch of other stuff.

"I dare say that we can arrange that quite easily." He exhaled in relief. "Though I must ask that you attend something. I'll tell you the details soon." Of course that came with a condition. Well, at least it was merely attending something, hopefully nothing too serious.

"Thanks. I own you one."

 _Monday Evening_ , _Kuoh_

Sadly, his suit had been lost in the grand scheme of things. Sure, it had cost him several hundred thousand yen, but he could easily replace it with him extremely deep pockets. He still didn't feel like having another custom suit made.

He scratched his head as he neared the door. He had not been let out of the hospital without a warning from Sona. His parents knew what was really going on behind their backs and where he had been for the past week. It was time to face the music. Morgana was probably worried as well, come to think of it.

Twisting the key and opening the door, he was almost instantly tackled by his mom. It was almost as if she knew that he had come home. 'Home is where the heart is.' He mused, as he returned the tight and near deathly embrace that his mother had trapped him in. As he let her continue the prolonged hug, he spotted his father at the back, standing prim and proper as usual, only with something different on his face this time. A ghost of a smile was there, on the face of one Giichi Kurusu as he was relieved to have his son back from the hands of Death. It was good to be back home. "I'm back, kaa-san, tou-san."

"Akemi. Let the poor boy go. We have things to talk about." The stern voice of Giichi cut through the hug, seperating though Akira could tell that his father was unwilling to let this moment end. Still, they couldn't do this forever. With great reluctance, Akemi did so, not with doing something else that probably shocked the other two members of the household. Akira flinched, as he realised that he had been hit on the cheek.

"That's for doing something so reckless." His mother scowled.

"What kind of mother hugs her son then hits him?" Akira quipped, rubbing his slightly sore left cheek only to be hit on the right one this time. Granted, his mother could hit hard if he wanted to but part of the Endurance stat had transferred over unto his physical self from Alice, which he had still not unequipped, thus allowing him to easily brush aside the pain.

"And that's for being a smartass."

"You would be surprised at how well it works against people." Akira offhandedly responded. It had gotten through Sae's thick mental barrier that she had always put up when interrogating suspects for him to make the deal that would save his life, according to Makoto. It had gotten him and Ryuji out of trouble when said blond had nearly tried to recklessly charge against Kamoshida when he first started at Shujin by angering Kamoshida, along with the fact that there was a teacher and some of his fans nearby as well. Well, you get the idea.

Choosing to not question it, Akemi dragged her sochi onto the nearest couch and plopped both of them down. "What exactly happened in Tokyo and why didn't you tell us? When did this happen?" She began ranting off while Giichi merely sighed.

"Let Akira explain himself. I'm sure that he can slowly tell us the tale. We do have quite a bit of time to burn after all."

Mouthing a thanks to his dad, he sighed before beginning his tale. "It began after I first stepped into Tokyo for my one year probation. There was this mysterious app in ny phone that didn't want to be deleted no matter how hard I tried..."

 _One Long ass storytelling session later.._

"Then I fought Kokabiel, nearly died and ended up in a hospital. That pretty much sums up all that's happened so far." He responded, drinking a cup of water to keep himself hydrated from all the talking that he had just done despite his attempt to keep it as short as possible.

"..." His parents had stayed silent througout the entire tale, which honestly unnerved him. Silence usually meant two things. The first was that they accepted it, while the second usually involved some... nasty words being shouted loudly and a bit of violence. If he had to bet, it would be the latter, with the thick tension in the air. He was really tempted to pull out Paradise Lost and see whether he could cut it. His suspicions were confirmed when his mother began to move her mouth.

It seemed that the luck stat didn't transfer over in real life unlike the Endurance stat. Goddamm it.

 _Same Time, Penthouse_

Yu's POV

Yu couldn't help but feel that his wildcard was currently suffering a smiliar bout of simple shitty luck just like him. Still, what were the odds of it happening?

With all that had happened last night, he had forgotten to head out and meet Rise. If there was one thing she would be infamous for, it would be her temper which she hid under a cloak of emotions. So much for his max Knowledge when he could't even remember such an appointment.

"Yu-kun, I hope you got a good explanation for this!" Though, he had to admit, she looked pretty damm cute when angry. A pity he wasn't there to see his face.

"Someone visited me yesterday, and it ended up with some... unwanted but necessary after effects."

"Jesus, Yu. Did you get injured again?"

"Not directly. But you probably wouldn't be able to land a blow on him if he ever got serious, much less defeat him. Kazeon's not the most suited for combat apart from the moving beams that can be easily taken down." He hated to admit it, but Susanoo was no doubt strong. Strong enough to take down the entire Investigation Team except for him without breaking a sweat.

"Who is it?"

"Susanoo." He waited for Rise's reaction.

"Susanoo as in Yousuke's persona?"Sure enough, he could hear Rise choking on air for a second before clarifying something, forgetting her earlier anger.

"No. Susanoo as in the God of Storms and Seas. He isn't the personification of our mind, but the real deal. Anyway, I've said too much over the phone. If you can, then come over to my house and we'll talk more." He wiped the sweat from his brow, he had managed to avoid the ire of Rise. For now.

 _Grigori Headquarters_

Azazel's POV

"Care for a drink?" Azazel held a shot glass out to Baraqiel, who merely shook his head before sitting himself on the luxurious looking sofa, which was imported from Italy.

"I'll pass. We both know that I ain't a drunkard like you." The Cadre bantered back, not batting an eyelid in the process.

"You do know that it's at least better than being labelled a M, right?" Ignoring the jab meant to provoke him, Baraqiel countered with another statement.

"Well, at least I don't practice it as much as you do with your alcohol consumption and not to mention that perverted side of yours which rivals even that of Odin's. And don't get me started on one Hyoudou Issei. I don't even understand how the Boosted Gear wielder is at the same level as you. Maybe I'll take you on that offer." Baraqiel shook his head in confusion. After all, some questions were really best left unanswered, he thought as the familiar burning sensation of the scotch hit his throat.

"So why call me here, Az? We both know that this ain't a social call." The door to Azazel's office opened, revealing a somewhat disheleved Shemhazai. The poor fallen angel looked like he hadn't gotten any sleep for the past few days. "Do you know how much have the Angels and Devils been pestering me?"

"I managed to get them off our backs for now. We're gonna hold a conference in Kuoh. If we succeed, then we can peobably form the alliance that we really need against Khaos Brigade."

"No doubt that the organisation will try something at the conference. Who are you going to bring along?" Shemhazai commented, readily downimg a shot of scotch that Azazel had offered him.

"Probably Vali and Baraqiel. Each faction is allowed to bring two people at most into the conference room. Well, at least it gives me a break from all those paperwork."

"Since when do you ever do your goddamm paperwork, you lazy fuck?" Baraqiel called out from the side. "And where's Penemue? I thought that she would be here."

"She's running damage control as we speak. I'll inform her later." The other two shuddered, knowing what Azazel meant by damage control. Penemue was probably the best and most effective when it came to such matters, dealing with some rogue members with her inherent sadistic nature that she hid under that smile of hers. The rogue members had been handed over to Azazel by Sirzechs, and he wasn't about to let the gift go to waste.

"Huh. What about that other kid?"

"From what I heard from Sirzechs, Akira managed to live somehow, and is back in Kuoh. Gotta drop by his house and pay him soon, after all I did request for stopping Kokabiel. Though it would have been better if he wasn't killed."

"I don't think Kokabiel would have liked that. He would have loved to die a warrior's death like he did." The door opened again, revealing Penemue who strutted in, flopping herself on the sofa opposite Baraqiel.

"Ah, Penemue. Done already?"

"Not yet. It's more fun to see them haave theit comrades tortured, and let them wallow in their own despair as tomorrow comes for them." The sickly sweet smile was present, until Shemhazai handed her a shot of scotch.

"Az. If this Akira is that powerful as you say, then why did he have such trouble defeating Kokabiel?"

"My guess is that he's not used to fighting against fallen angels and the like. He's probably more used to foes who use a different number of strategies to their advamtage and counter accordingly, whereas Kokabiel's battle plan is much more simpler but more refined at the same time." Azazel responded. "Kokabiel's fighting style is through reinforcement of his light spears so that they are almost always guranteed to penerate any target. Kokabiel was also a commander, allowing him to make calls that Akira didn't expect. I assume that the Trickster simply didn't have an answer to that. He does lack experience as compared to Kokabiel." He outlined the points which in his mind, made Akira nearly lose.

"That could very well likely be the case. So is he going to be part of the conference?"

"Sirzechs has said so himself."

"Which reminds me. One of those who I tortured. One of the more coherent ones spoke of another human, a grey haired person by the name of Narukami Yu, who also used the same power. Except that he used it in the form of cards." Penemue chose to pipe up with this new slice of information, allowing them to absorb it before continuing. "Also, the fallen angel said that he said and I quote 'Mangle them, Magatsu Izanagi!' before summoning someone who used the Ame no Nuboko. Interesting, dont you think?"

The three males in the room shared a look with each other. "That can't be good." Baraqiel was the first to speak up.

"That would perhaps explain why Amateratsu herself has chosen to mediate the conference." Azazel muttered, but the entire thing was caught by everyone in the room.

"Are you serious, Az? God knows how strong the Shinto are! And now they choose to stick a hand in this!"

"A dead God doesn't know anything, Shem." Azazel chuckled before downing the alcohol. "Plus, would you believe that Akira was the one behind the changes in heart and the phenomenon in Tokyo?"

"It's just one surprise after another." Baraqiel sighed, too tired to even be surprised by more news. "What next, this Yu guy is the one who knows about the truth about the Inaba killings that we haven't been able to decipher?" It still weighed heavily on the back on their minds, given how they had tried to investigate it to only turn up with nothing.

"You know, I do think that they're heroes of some sort. It wouldn't surprise me. Standing up against what was thought impossible. Like the Yu guy against an eight winged fallen angel who came out victorious while Akira being able to defeat Kokabiel. Those are no minor feats." Penemue commented idly, twirling around a lock of her hair.

"They aren't really heroes, Penemue. Sometimes the world just conspires for them to be one."

"True to that."

 _Sixth Heaven_

Gabriel's POV

She watched as her brother ran a hand through his hair, obviously somewhat frustrated at the recent developments. Finally, he sighed, before looking up at Gabriel. "Sister, would you please call Raphael and Uriel for me?" Nodding her head, she began to take steps out of the room, managing to look regal even without trying.

Such was the grace that she had been blessed with by her long gone father, leaving Michael to maintain the system of God that kept Heaven running, even if barely. Metatron would have made a better leader if he wasn't gone, at least that was what Michael had said. But Gabriel knew better. Deep down in her heart, she knew that another of her brothers was still alive, allowing her to cling onto that foolish but lingering hope.

She knew that it was foolish of her, just like the persona that she wore. No longer was she Gabriel, the Red War Maiden whose blade and armour would always be stained with the blood of her enemies. No longer was she the one who delivered a swift ending to her numerous opponents with ease. She was now Gabriel, the powerful yet naive Seraph who was the Strongest Woman in Heaven, just like her counterpart Serafall Leviathan of the devils. The one who had an innocent outlook. She smirked, before the facial expression vanished within a fraction of a single moment.

Lost in her wandering thoughts, she hadn't noticed how fast she'd arrived.

"Uriel. Raphael." She had reached the chambers of the other two Seraphs, who were busy trying to manage the souls in Third Heaven. The duty was on a roster basis, and the two of them were the ones doing it today.

"Yes, Gabriel? What brings you here?" Uriel looked up as Raphael continued his work, analysing the radiant smile that his sister bore.

"Michael calls for our presence, and I believe that it is for something major."

"I see." It was Raphael who had spoken. "Let us proceed then."

The last time they had all gathered together, it was the creation of the Brave Saints. What could be something possibly so big that Michael wanted to call all of them together once more?

As they arrived in Michael's chambers, Gabriel noticed how he sighed once more, almost as if he didn't want to deliver whatever news he had on hand. "Brother, why have you called us?"

"You're not going to like what I'm about to say, Raphael. But it is the best option that we've got right now."

"What is going on, brother?" Raphael asked in geniune confusion.

"Recently, it has come to my attention that some of our angels have begun to defect to another organisation other than the Grigori by falling. It took me a bit of research, but I found the cause of it." He began.

"What is it?" Uriel was getting impatient, not liking how Michael was beating around the bush.

"Khaos Brigade. What is it, and its goal still remains unknown. However, what I know is that Ophis is the leader of the organisation." That caught everyone's atttention. Raphael was about to speak up, when Michael held up a palm. "We're going to have a conference with the devils and fallen angels. Form an alliance if possible."

"You can't be serious!"

"Unfortunately Raphael, I am. Heaven is slowly diminishing, merely a shadow of its former glory, with angels falling every day. I can't even control the system like God could. To be truth told, we are the weakest of the three bliblical factions now. If we were to be invaded by other factions, chances are we won't make it out alive."

Raphael took a deep breath before sighing. His fellow Seraph did make an extremely valid statement. "I... see your point, brother. I will not go against this." Gabriel knew that it hurt him to say it, but it was for the sake for the race.

"I thank you, Raphael. Also, there has also been two humans who have been brought up as points of interest."

"May I ask who, Brother?" Gabriel wanted to know. It was her compassion that allowed her to interact with humans the most out of all four of them. Michael placed two pictures on the table. One showed a cocky looking teen wearing a trench coat and a white bird mask, with messy curly hair and a black knife with a red gem imbued.

"This is Akira Kurusu, who fought Kokabiel and won, if barely." He pointed to the first picture. "According to the Exorcists that were on site, he summoned a Seraphim angel no less." The gasps were heard, but Gabriel ignored it, choosing to look at the second picture. The second one was an adult with distinct gray hair, holding two swords and wearing a black shirt with a gray jacket and pants combo. "This is Yu Narukami, who fought an eight winged angel and won." Gabriel nodded in approvement, as she absorbed the information.

"Say, which angel was summoned?"

"Irina described the angel as having two horns, with twelve wings and long orange hair, with a sash wrapped loosely around him."

"But that would mean..." Uriel and Raphael recoiled in shock, not daring nor wanting to complete their sentence. Instead, it was Gabriel who brpught herself to do so, uttering the name of the first fallen angel.

"Helel."

 **A/N: I know it's been almost a month since I posted, just don't kill me. I had a part time job after Chinese New Year so didn't really have much time to write this chapter.**

 **Alright, I just wanna clear things up here. I've been getting reviews for my story that "it has more holes than swiss cheese". I admit that this is true, I don't shy away from my mistakes. I would like to just point out that this is my first story and I'm a amateur at this. Of course there will be plot holes and mistakes, that I'll admit. I can't really fix all of them, I ain't a god tier writer, just some casual dude.**

 **With that out of the way, I'll also like to say that my uploading schedule's gonna be irregular from here on out cuz school is starting for me soon so I'll have less time for writing stuff.**

 **Ok. Net thing. About the crossover ideas. Many people have voted for the Persona x Campione crossover so I'll be trying that out first. But, I can assure that I won't start on it till I start the Young Devils Gathering Arc for this story so you're all gonna have to wait a bit longer before I start writing and posting the first chapter of that. It's still a work in progress thing.**

 **With that, peace out.**

 **322n (Ya friendly asian)**

 ** _Songs:_**

 ** _漂向北方 - 黄明志 ft 王力宏_**

 ** _(Stranger in the North - Namewee ft Wang Lee Hom)_**

 ** _精舞门 - 罗志祥_**

 ** _(Jing Wu Men - Luo Zhi Xiang)_**

 ** _Better Believe Me - 陳嘉唯 ft 頑童 MJ116_**

 ** _我们不一样 - 大狀_**

 ** _(Wo Men Bu Yi Yang - Da Zhuang)_**


	21. Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Back to the usual?

 _Time frames and locations_

 **Persona Skills and Speech**

[Dragon Speech/Boosted Gear Skills]

POVs

 _Wednesday_ _Afternoon, Kuoh Academy_

Akira's POV

Just another simple day at Kuoh Academy as he came back to school for the first time in a week. A concerned teacher asking about him, Issei and the dual Ms trying to talk him into porn for his rehabilitaion(he shuddered at the word), and trying to keep a low profile. Nothing much.

He was actually beginning to think that the double Ms had themselves named like that, with how they were getting beaten up every single day. Issei, he would save a couple of times but other than that he got the same treatement as well. Life was back to normal, or as normal it could be for a supernaturally aware high schooler.

The normal routine calmed him down, after all Kokabiel had done quite a number on him, with him nearly dying and all that shit. But, this was merely the beginning of the storm that was set to siege the supernatural world. Things would change, and he was certain of it. Kokabiel had been only the beginning, yet he nearly died there. What could he really do against others who were more powerful?

 **"If I may, Akira. I believe it's because you lack experience. Kokabiel's tatical genius knows no bounds and you simply wasn't able to respond to his strategy."** The soft and gentle voice of one of his Personae rang through his mind.

"Thanks, Gabriel. Though I can't help but think that he wasn't fighting at full power. Otherwise I might have been dead from the very beginning." He responded, not being able to shake off the feeling that Kokabiel could have easily fucked him up. "I need more experience fighting against them, they aren't the shadows that I'm used to fighting." His only battles since entering the Supernatural World had been mainly against shadows, then a 1 v 16 against Riser and his peerage and a defence against the fallen angels. That had been it. He didn't have the experience that others had, and that left him at quite a major disadvantage.

 **"I suppose that's a problem that can be answered later. School's out, and someone's approaching you."** Akira sighed, Arsene was right. He had been been too absorbed in his thoughts to notice his surroundings properly. Turning his head, he noticed the brown haired pervert sitting next to him on the grass patch. His last class for the day had been physical education after all.

"Yo, Akira-senpai. How's it going?"

"It's been decent, Issei. Though it could do without having to haul your sorry ass away from the Kendo girls." Issei could only grin sheepishly at that. "I can't rescue you all the time, I do need to keep up appearances for my parents." He scowled slightly at the last part, wishing that his parents weren't monitoring his education process like last year, but alas not all things could be granted for him.

"But still, thanks for your help, Akira-senpai! Without you I wouldn't have anyone to bail me out!"

"The world's probably better off without me, with the kind of power that I hold." The pervert now looked aghast, as if he had said something that was considered blasphemy to the female autonomy.

"That's not true, Akira-senpai! You've done a lot of useful things for us! Like helping me and Akeno train for the Rating Game against Riser and helping us against Kokabiel!" He all but shouted out. It was thankful that no one was nearby to hear him shout those words, this place being close to the Occult Research Club.

"Look, Issei." Akira sighed before continuing. "We are wildcards. Anything can happen. We defy all logic, even fate cannot hold us in its shackles. We carve our own paths, but by doing so, we endanger those whose fates have already been woven to tell a tale of their own. Including you, Issei." His voice broke for a second, as he remembered the time that he had nearly put his team in danger by going into Mementos and almost getting deleted by the people themselves. He was so helpless back then. "From what I can tell, Yu has also caused the same thing to nearly happen. We are not almightly, Issei. We can't protect everyone even if we tried." Akira took off his spectacles, propping his free arm up with a bent knee.

He had really tried. All they had wanted was to change the heart of Okumaru. But he had died, regardless because of that Yaladbaoth. That had been the one death that he couldn't avoid, no matter how hard he had tried. Thinking of that pseudo God angered him, but he managed to calm that anger down. It was no longer of any use.

To his surprise, Issei stayed silent at his small outburst. For a few seconds. "Then all we have to do is to grow strong enough to protect ourselves and stand beside you, eh?"

"Maybe." Akira gave a faint smile, as he put his spectacles back on. The pervert was beginning to mature real quick, that was for certain. It wouldn't be long before he reached a new pinnacle of power, with the Boosted Gear. Months ago, when he met Issei, he had been nothing more than a pervert whose mind was filled with nothing but boobs. Now? He at least had some of his priorities set straight, and not to mention he was getting stronger by the day.

 _Your bond with the Perverted Highschooler has reached level 8!_

"Well, I gotta go, Issei. See ya." Opening his phone, he noticed a message from an unknown person. He scowled as he read the text, knowing who would send such a message to him.

"Care for a drink?"

 _Pub_ , _Wednesday Night_

"Why am I not surprised that you would ask me to meet you here?" Akira had quickly returned home to change his Kuoh Academy outfit and blazer in favour for a simple pair of blue jeans and black shirt, with a grey hoodie to go along with it. "Then again, you seem like the kind who enjoys drinking a little bit too much.

"You are too sharp for your own good, kid." He deadpanned at the blond man in front of him, watching him down a shot of whiskey.

"Funny, seeing how I've been told that many times by the devils already. Next thing you know, the angels are going to be knocking on my door and end up saying the same thing." Akira commented, setting himself down beside him. "So what brings you here, Azazel?"

"What brings me here? Kid, don't tell me you forgot our deal."

"I'll take a Singapore Sling." Nodding his head, the bartender moved away to gather the items needed for his drink.

"You sure you old enough to drink, kid?"

"One, I don't care. Two, You look like my charperone so it's pretty much on you." Akira smirked as Azazel looked dumbfounded, realising that he had been played like a fool. Receiving his drink from the bartender, he took a small sip. There was a hint of the sour taste from the lime, but he liked it with the overall fruity taste.

"You got me there, kid. Very few people have actually outwitted me." The dumbfounded look turned into a smile, as he poured himself another shot of whiskey. "Enough of that. Why did you kill Kokabiel?" Azazel's faced turned somewhat serious, if that was even possible.

"He wanted a warrior's death. I gave him nothing more, nothing less." Akira responded with his serious voice. A death by his hands was something he did not kid about, even if the two people he had killed deserved to die.

"Fair enough. I gotta thank you, I suppose for helping a friend of mine and helping my faction." He responded, clinking glasses with the Trickster before the two of them drank their respective alcohol.

"Somehow I feel that you are the kind to let others do your dirty work until you are really needed."

"Hey don't put it like that! I'm just the generous superior giving my underlings a chance to prove themselves and their capabilities."

"Right..." Akira rolled his eyes and dragged that lone word out, indicating that he did not believe Azazel.

"Still, I gotta pay you somehow. Anything you need, kid, just give me a call."

"Anything, huh?" Akira began to sip on his drink more, as he began to think about something. The idea could prove to have some merit, seeing the events to come were not to be taken lightly. Without realising it, he had finished his beverage.

"Yeah, anything kid. Why?"

"Nothing. For now, at the very least. Anything else you want to talk about?"

"I've been wanting to ask you about your Persona powers. How do they work?" Akira bit his cheek at that, not knowing how to answer it for a second before sighing. From what he had heard about Azazel, said fallen angel was also a mad scientist of sorts.

"I suppose I can give you a demostration." Casting a Dormina at the bartender, he watched as the bartender slumped onto his wooden stool before falling onto the floor. "It's just a sleeping spell." He responded nonchantly to Azazel's questioning look before facing him. Thankfully, the bar had emptied out, allowing him to do what he intended to do.

"Persona." He muttered, crushing the floating Fool tarot card that flashed into existence, causing it to shatter into smithereens as if it were made of glass. In a flash of blue flames that Azazel realised was harmless, his other self appeared. "Meet Arsene, a reflection of myself."

"Fascinating... and you say this is Arsene? Arsene Lupin?"

"He's not the only one I can summon, which I'm sure that you know." Akira responded, dismissing Arsene who returned to the Sea of Souls with a tilt of his hat and a flash of blue flames.

"Ongyo-Ki, Baal, Nebiros, Belliai, and a few more, from what I know." Akira merely shook his head.

"That's not all. The list is not exhaustive, if I really tried. But I do have more than you think. Such is the potential that I hold."

"That certainly sounds like it makes you quite the opponent."

"People have underestimated me and paid for it." The subtle hint was there from Akira. Don't mess with him, or you might find your self on the wrong end of the stick. "Though, why does your assistant look like that?" Akira gestured to the doorway, where the albino haired girl from Azazel's house visit was. He was almost scared, honestly, with the look she was giving. Her grin was wide, but in a different manner. It was not any normal grin, but one that was filled with bloodlust.

 **"She's a battle sadist."** The glee(?) from Arsene's voice didn't make any sense. **"It's almost like a match made in Heaven, or Hell."**

"What?" Unfortunately, Arsene had gone dark once more, making him unable to communicate with said persona.

"Eh, don't worry too much about Vali. She just likes to fight. A lot. And she isn't my assistant but my adopted daughter. Meet Vali." He gestured for her to come closer, and Akira finally got a good look at her. Hair that was as white as snow cascaded now her back, reaching near her rear. She reached up to somewhere above his nose, but was definitely shorter than him. She certainly was also well endowed in both places and had legs that seemed to go for miles. The fact that she wore an casual outfit consisting of a plain white shirt with light blue jeans which accented her curves seemed to make her ,he dared to say, sexy. Not many could pull off this look effortlessly.

"Hey, stop checking out my daughter!"

"You don't seem like a responsible father to me." Akira deadpanned back.

"Quite sharp, aren't you?" Vali commented, twirling a lock of her hair.

"Like I've said, I've been told that many times." His face morhped to his default deadpan expression, not wanting to show the disbelief that many people thought that he was that sharp. Honestly speaking, was it that hard to believe?

"Care for a fight?" The words came out tumbling out of her mouthh before he knew it. The words also seemed to ignite his fighter's spirit, resulting in him not wanting to back down from the challenge.

"Vali!"

"I can, but I only have a knife with me." Akira responded, twirling Paradise Lost which had been stored somewhere on his body. "It tends to be more than enough for stray devils and the like." He didn't really want to bring out Satanael's rifle, since it was a weapon saved for major fights and he sure as hell didn't want to use it in a spar.

"That's still enough for a quick one." He chose to ignore Azazel's pleading face. A fight now sounded pretty good to him and he wasn't about to back out of a challenge issued to him. His fighting spirit wouldn't allow it, after all.

 _Penthouse, Wednesday Night_

Yu's POV

Sometimes he wished for more tranquil moments in his life like the current, with nothing to disturb him. He stood on the balcony of the penthouse, leaning on the raiiling which was the only thing that seperated him from a seventeen storey drop. The starry night stared back at him, as he looked up at the beautiful night sky.

Yet, he knew deep down in his heart that this wouldn't last. The events that were coming would definitely catch up to him, especially his past of shadows and personae that he had tried so hard to hide away from the light. Not to mention that the entire Shinto faction. He would directly or indirectly affect them, no matter what action he took. So much for a normal life.

Still-

His next line of thought was cut off as Susanoo appeared on the balcony beside him. If there was any surprise from him, he didn't really show it apart from a question. "How did you get here?" Yu asked, continuing to stare at the night sky.

"Vapour travel." Yu nodded his head, as if those two words answered his question, which actually did. Since water vapour was always present in the air and Susanoo was a God of Storms, it meant that he had control over all forms of water, water vapour included.

"Where did you go?"

"Amateratsu called for a meeting. It seems that she's coming here for you, father." He stiffened up at that.

"Well, fuck." Susanoo nodded sagely, as if he couldn't have summed the current situation up for him any better.

"While she's here, she's also going to be mediating a conference between the three biblical factions. He noticed the sudden appearance of a scowl on Susanoo's face, as if he didn't like any of the factions. He wouldn't question it, somehow knowing that Susanoo would open up when he was ready.

"About the conference. When and where is it?"

Susanoo now was in the same position as Yu, only difference being that he was staring forth at the horizon where the sun had already set. "Saturday Night, at Kuoh Academy. I've also heard rumours of the boy Akira attending. Will you?"

"I'll think about it."

"Fair enough. So what are your plans now?"

"Care for a spar?"

"Pardon me?"

"I asked if you wanted a spar. A blade will eventually dull and get rusty if not enough care is given to it. Same thing applies to me. You of all people should know that, Susanoo." He had thought long and hard on it, and decided that he needed to polish his skills. It had been far too long since he fought on a battlefield, and his battle against Abed was just a simple but much needed wake up call for him.

"I'll be happy to oblige, father. It's been a while since we did some family bonding." After returning the swords of Yoshitsune to Akira, he had a quick crash course from his junior on how to summon weapons. This would also be the perfect time to practice using the Ame no Nuboko, since according to Izanagi no Okami he had to keep up "apppearances".

"Let's find a spot then." Grabbing onto Yu's shoulder, the two of them disappeared into thin air, leaving no trace of their presence except for a light that lit the now empty balcony.

 _Same time, Forest_

Akira's POV

"You aren't too bad yourself." Akira commented, leaping back and twirling his knife as Vali gave chase, twin white wings behind her back aiding her in doing so. Of all Sacred Gears that Vali held, it just had to be Divine Dividing. The luck stat certainly didn't transfer into real life. Goddamm it.

Divine Dividing was similiar to the Boosted Gear in the sense that it had an effect on anything and everything. The only weakness that he had figured out so far was the fact that Vali had to make contact with him at least once before the Divide could take place for organic beings. Which was why he was playing extremely defensively, dodging every single blow that had been sent his way. Equipping Mada who had Auto Masukukaja in the beginning of the battle really helped in that aspect.

"I could say the same to you." She quipped back, continuing the chase. "Still, one hit and you're gone." This spar was already turning out to be harder than he thought. If he had his gun, things might be easier if not for the fact that Divine Dividing would probably stop it.

"Maybe. Maybe not. Mot!" Ripping out his mask, the coffin bound being appearing in a flash of blue flames. **"Megidoloan!"** Vali stopped just in time, before flying back as fast as possible as the hemisphere of raw divine power began its fultile attempt to hit or at least nick Vali.

"I see. You can't divide attacks that you can't see the origin of." After the attack finished and failed to hit Vali, he called out his suspicions in a bluffing manner. That was the second weakness that he concluded, after seeing Vali dodge the attack rather than dividing it.

"Quite perceptive. Indeed, it's sadly a weakness that I have yet to rectify." With Vali confirming it herself, Akira now understood how to win. Low tier spells wouldn't do jack shit against Vali, while most of the high tier ones had some sort of origin that could be traced. Megidoloan was too slow to consider, and Black Viper was out of the question. That left only two options. Fusion spells to overwhelm her and a second option. Fusion spells would be considered overkill so he went for the second one.

"Kakoi Kuzushi." He muttered the name of the skill that had been granted to him through the forging of bonds of the Star Arcana, snapping his fingers as well. The sudden increase in brightness was something that Vali did not percieve, and was forced to put up a hand to quickly shield her eyes from temporary blindness.

Using this spilt second of distraction, Akira leapt up high enough to match Vali's altitude, pulling her leg and slamming Vali down onto the forest floor before pinning her down and putting Paradise Lost at her neck. "Sorry, Vali. But this is where the fun ends. You lose."

She pouted for a second, before dismissing her Sacred Gear, indicating that she had acknowledged her defeat. "Aww, I was hoping that we could play more." Akira got up from his position, dismissing his Phantom Thief outfit and returning to his normal one that he had worn earlier.

"You did say a quick one. And you weren't going all out either."

"How do you know that?" For some reason, his sharpness never ceased to amaze people. Was it really that hard to believe?

"You didn't use Balance Breaker. If Azazel said that you were strong enough to be one of Grigori's top fighters, it would mean that you would have at least achieved Balance Breaker. Just like Issei." Akira, in that single moment, knew that he had fucked up spectaculary.

"Just like Issei? Who's that?" If he could, Akira would summon Mot just to hide himself in the coffin for the rest of time.

"Ah, you mean the perverted kid who's the Red Dragon Emperor?" Yep, Akira seemed to suffer from a bout of pure shitty luck. Azazel chose to reappear in that moment, announcing his entrance in such a way that Akira knew that he was in deep shit.

"How do you know him?"

"You should have seen him! Kid didn't even flinch when I revealed my true identity earlier. He thought that I was just some cilent." Akira had to give credit to Issei for that, not even making an obvious reaction when provoked. "No one fears the great Azazel anymore..." Azazel muttered, looking somewhat depressed.

"Since when was anything about you great? All I see is a pervert who's also got a drinking problem at the same time." Akira commented, sliding his knife was into his hiding place. That earned a giggle from Vali, and Azazel looked as if he had been dealt a fatal blow.

"See, kids like this are why I have a drinking problem. No respect for their elders." Azazel mocked sigh, rubbing his head.

"Deal with it, father. Hm?" Akira was no longer paying attention to the conversation, instead staring at something else in the distance.

"Huh, I thought I sensed something." He shrugged his shoulders, choosing to ignore it. There was no point in finding the source of disturbance, it was getting rather late and he had school tomorrow as well. "It's nothing. I'll be heading off now." Akira called out, beginning to walk away and back into the city so that he coild get some much needed rest. Running around so much had tired him out after all and he wasn't about to skip school with Sona around.

 _Thursday Evening, Akira's apartment_

"Why am I not surprised that you'll be here?" Akira stared at the devil, who had chosen to knock on the door like a civlised person. "Well, come in and we can talk more. At least you're more civilised than Azazel." He still didn't like the idea of Sirzechs Lucifer appearing on his doorstep without any warning. "Why are here anyway?"

"Tomorrow's Parent's Day."

"Bloody siscon." Akira responded, not caring that he had insulted a Satan before setting down a steaming mug of coffee in front of him. "And where's your Queen? I thought she'd be with you." The guilty look on Sirzechs told him everything he needed to know. "Skipping work? That's unbefitting of you, as a Maou."

"What would a young kid like you know about the horrors of paperwork?" Akira merely deadpanned at Sirzechs, who tried to fake his way out of it.

"I'm a highschool student, remember? My homework is almost equal to your paperwork. We both have to come up with different solutions for our work."

"You win this one. Again" Sirzechs admitted. _(Akira - 2, Sirzechs - 0)_

"If it's any consolation I managed to get one up on Azazel as well." It did seem to brighten up Sirzechs' mood at te very least, as he now lounged on the sofa opposite the one Akira was sitting on, taking a large sip of the coffee.

"This is good coffee, it's better than Grayfia's. Where did you get it?" Sirzechs had a content smile on his lips, savouring the taste of the rich coffee that seemed to sap away his tiredness in exchange for energy.

"Hand brewed by yours truly."

"That's a pity. I wouldn't mind having this everyday."

"So why are you here anyway?"

"Remember what I said about having you attend something? It's this Saturday night, at Kuoh Academy. It's going to be a conference between the three factions."

"So how am I exactly involved in this?" Akira scowled.

"You played a crucial part in the Siege of Kuoh Academy. Not to mention that you killed Kokabiel yourself. And the fact that you are neutral in the eyes of every faction. They want to assess if you're a threat or not." If possible, Akira's scowl just got even bigger, before he closed his eyes for a second.

" **N** o **w,** **te** ll me, **Si** rze **chs** **G** **r** emor **y**. **W** h **y** **s** **ho** uld I **e** v **en** bo **the** r, **i** f o **nly,** t **o** **m** eet **th** eir de **mand** s? **I** am **n** ot **som** e mor **tal th** at y **ou** **ca** n si **mply** b **oss** arou **nd** and **sa** y th **at I** n **eed to** be k **illed** off. **Fo** r what? **Is** it **bec** aus **e of** my **po** wer?" Akira opened his eyes, now a crimson red, spoke in a semi demonic voice. **"Th** at **fea** r, s **o** **deli** cious... **I** wo **nder for** ho **w** **lo** ng **ca** n o **ne** of **you** r sta **ture** sc **ream?"** He could smell it. In fact, the whole room reeked of it. The fear of Sirzechs. He feared someone who now sat before him like it was nothing, speaking in a voice that promised pain, a fate worse than death.

The partial possession was something that he had been working on. Akira himself had chosen to eqiup a Persona just for this, if someone tried to fuck around with him, thinking that they could get away with it. If they tried, so be it. He would fight till the very end. Even if it was a faction leader and one of the most powerful people in the world.

A red teleport circle appeared behind the sofa that Sirzechs was occupying, and Akira immediately knew who it was. Sirzechs was still frozen in both shock and fear, unable to do anything. "Lucifer-sama!"

 **"My** my, **s** o **yo** u ca **ll hi** m **Luc** ifer? **Fo** r **ho** w lon **g have** I **let** **m** y **nam** e be **use** d in **suc** h a per **verse** man **ner? I** sho **uld pun** ish you **for** th **is, litt** le **Grayfia.** Slowly, he began to manifest. His six devil wings appearing first, with the horns and his face next. The usual dark skin was replaced with a lighter shade, as the rest of his body appeared, this time covered by a black suit.

He strode towards the two, as Akira watched impassively from where he sat. It was no longer his business after Grayfia teleported herself here. The moment she had appeared, it immediately became Lucifer's business.

 **A/N: Well, that marks the end of this chapter. I'll be starting on conference Arc next chapter so do watch out for that!**

 **Also, with this chapter, it should reach 100k words. Thanks for all your support on this fanfic so far and I will definitly try my best for this fanfic. It's still my first story after all.**

 **Hoped you guys enjoyed this chapter and leave a review if you guys think that there's room for improvement or any requests that you want! Some requests will be considered. Absurd requests are obviously not allowed and dun flame. I am only a amateur at this shit.**

 **On that note, peace out mofos!**

 **322n(Ya friendly asian)**

 ** _Songs_**

 **Different Story - The Night**

 **Boom Bap - Matroda**

 **Fix you - Vicetone**

 **Way Back - Vicetone ft Cozi Zuehlsdorff**

 **Cookies - Tokyo Machine**

 **Another Night - MYRNE ft Nevve**


	22. Chapter 21

Chapter 21: The Conference Begins!

 _Time frames and locations_

 **Persona Skills and Speech**

[Dragon Speech/Boosted Gear Skills]

POVs

 _Thursday Evening, Akira's apartment_

Akira's POV

Having a powerful devil ready to unleash all of his wrath unto you was not a good thing. But having the progenitor of said race in front of you ready to unleash all of his wrath onto you? Now that was on a whole new level. Such was the current situation both Sirzechs and Grayfia found themselves in.

"I'll let you deal with this, Lucifer. I have something else to do." Akira wasn't going too far away, which should still allow Lucifer's continued materialisation on the physical plane of existence. It was Lucifer's right to deal with it after all. While Lucifer dealt with his problems, he had one of his own to deal with as well.

Closing the door behind him, he strode lazily towards the next apartment beside his, sighing leaning on the door without any careq. He had felt it earlier. A spy. Someone had been watching them earlier and he clearly felt it, like it was a slight disturbance in nature. No doubt Lucifer had felt it as well, and Lucifer didn't have the delicate touch required to deal with such a situation. Thus, he had chosen to volunteer himself for this task. Although, he was surprised that Sirzechs didn't detect it.

If word got out that he could casually threaten a faction leader and get away with it, he could be easily marked for death or capture, something that he didn't want happening.

"Persona." He muttered, crushing the card. "Where is the person, Ongyo-Ki?"

"Rooftop. A fellow senjutsu user like me, although I'm out of her league."

"Cover me." Nodding his head, Ongyo-Ki moved his hands in a seemingly weird manner, before the two of them vanished.

 _Rooftop_

Akira frowned, looking at the figure that had been spying on the meeting between him and Sirzechs. "I certainly wasn't expecting you to be the one spying us, Stray Devil Kuroka." He knew of one of the most infamous criminals that the Underworld had. SS class stray devil Kuroka, who went berserk with senjutsu and slayed her master. That was supposedly the official version. The unofficial was something that was definitely kept under wraps for damage control, as far as he had gleamed from several sources. "Why are you here?"

Akira stepped out of the 'cloak' that Ongyo-Ki had made for stealth in his assassination missions, with said Persona dispelling it. Ongyo-Ki stood there for a few seconds, before returning to the Sea of Souls with a nod from Akira. The way Ongyo-Ki's cloak worked was that he absorbed the surrounding nature energy before pushing it out like a barrier, in the form of a extremely thin cloak that hid a person from view. However, the reason why it was so dangerous for such a technique was that you needed to also contain the world's malice and push it out constantly to fuel the barrier to blend in perfectly, something which most senjutsu users couldn't handle and would probably go insane from. Ongyo-Ki could however, since his life basically revolved around killing.

Kuroka looked aghast, as if she hadn't been expecting for someone to sneak up on her. Akira smirked. It was something he almost enjoyed , scaring the living day lights out of people, other races included. "H-how?"

"A Trickster never reveals his secrets. Now, why were you spying on us? I'll get answers out from you, one way or another." Akira had the Tyrant Pistol aimed at her, ready to fire at a moment's notice.

"You sure you wanna shoot this poor kitten, nya?"

"Like I said, I'll get answers one way or another- What?" He felt the pain before he knew it. A severe pain to his right arm, his pistol clattering onto the floor as he could no longer maintain his grip on it. "Ongyo-Ki!" He should have kept the Senjutsu master around, in case she'd try to disrupt his Ki. It was careless of him, not noticing the movements her left hand had been making. "Stop her."

 **"Myriad Slashes."** After being hit by the three slashes of the technique, Kuroka fell down like a ragdoll, unable to kove while Akira realised what Ongyo-Ki had just done. He had infused the technique with senjutsu, allowing him to disrupt the ki of Kuroka while striking her with the slashes. Disrupting her ki at very precise spots such that her arms and legs were unable to move, essentially preventing her from doing anything.

"Now, I want answers, and you will give them to me or I will send you down there to face Lucifer along with Sirzechs and Grayfia. Are we clear?" He had echoed his own voice with help from Ongyo-Ki, allowing him to intimidate the Nekoshou easily. While not as good as Lucifer's, it was apparently still good enough as Kuroka frantically nodded her head. Picking up the gun, he sat on the ground where Kuoka laid awake but unmoving while Ongyo-Ki remained this time. "So, who sent you here? And why were you spying on our meeting?"

"It was Ophis, nya. She wanted me to try and recruit you into the Khas Brigade, if possible. I was just in the area then I was curious as to why the Crimson Lucifer appeared here, who then led me to you." She explained, fear evident in her voice as she saw not one, but two demons smiling at her.

"Ophis, huh? I hope she doesn't take rejection badly."

"She'll probably come herself." Kuroka admitted.

"What is the Khaos Brigade and who is in it?"

"The aim of the Khaos Brigade is to kill Great Red, nya. It consists of the Hero faction, who are a bunch of humans who are descended from heroes or who have a Sacred Gear. Then there's the Old Maou Devil faction as well as some fallen angels and a few Gods inside."

"I'll let you go, but tell Ophis I'll be waiting with the same answer if she comes herself." As Ongyo-Ki faded back into the Sea of Souls, Akira crushed another card. **Diaharan."** As the Queen of Fairies appeared, a simple wave of her hand was all that she needed to heal Kuroka.

"Thanks. Maybe you aren't such a bad person like the reports said, nya."

"Reports?" He raised a questioning look at Kuroka.

"They say you're some savage human who kills anyone who bothers you." Akira merely smiled at that.

"I adopt a different mask for different situations. My powers too, having them can sometimes influence my personailty if I'm not too careful." It had been hard, when he only had 12 Personae at one go back then. Keeping them at bay so that their traits wouldn't show in Akira. But with the World Arcana, it was possible to do so with all 100 plus, almost 200 Personae even though there was a chance that the same thing might happen.

"Ohh, that explains why. You do seem like a nice guy, nya. Well, I'll see you soon!" As Akira watched Kuroka keap off the rooftop, he couldn't help but feel that there was something familiar about her. He shrugged his shoulders. It wasn't his problem anyway. Hopefully by the time he got back, Lucifer should be done. And him being called savage? For some reason, he liked the sound of it.

 _Saturday Afternoon, Kuoh Academy_

"Hey, Issei." Akira found himself sitting beside Issei during lunch break. It was weird, honestly seeing how Issei was always drawn to him like a magnet, always figuring out where he was. This time, Akira had chosen to lounge on the school rooftop this time to consume his curry and coffee, the location bringing back memories of his early days as a Phantom Thief.

"Will you be attending the conference, Akira-senpai? Sirzechs Lucifer looked almost... frightened for a second when I asked about you." Issei hesitated for a second, a hesitation that he could see despite the Pawn's attempt to cover it up.

"I would best reccommend not asking about it. And no, I won't be attending the conference." Sirzechs had probably been scarred for life by that experience he had with his predecessor. Grayfia on the other hand, he didn't really know.

"Why?"

"Let's just say I'll rather not get myself into any more trouble and leave it at that." Trouble seemed to find Akira wherever he went, it seemed. It felt like a curse, if he were honest to be with himself.

"Oh."

"Relax, Issei." Akira could feel the nervousness stemming from Issei's form. After all, being the Red Dragon Emperor was not a small deal in the Supernatural World. "In this sort of situation, there's no point being nervous. Always look ahead, never look back. Discard your fear and walk forth with confidence. That's all you can do at times."

"Ddraig wasn't kidding when he said you were wise."

"You don't find the courage to fight against a God and successfully kill it without getting any wiser." Akira commented. He had decided long ago that he could trust Issei with it. Despite not knowing the devil for long, he could tell that he had a type of loyalty not found in many, and a fierce fire that was only growing stronger by the day.

"Kill a God? Which one?"

"Yaldabaoth or YHVH or whatever you want to call him. Take your pick, but I hope you don't tell anyone about this."

"How did Yaldabaoth resurface? Ddraig says that fighting a God would have caused at least some major side effects that cannot be hidden from any faction."

"December 23th, 2016. Tokyo. That was when and where Yaldabaoth emerged from his hiding spot, causing a part of the metaphysical area where he was hiding to rise together with him. I fought the God with a few others, and nearly lost my life in the process. Satanael was the reason why I defeated him, and sooner or later someone's gonna call me out as Satanael." Akira gave a short version. Details such as shadows were not important now, and the lesser Issei knew, the better.

"But that still doesn't answer my question." Issei pointed out.

Akira clenched his fist, remembering what Yaldabaoth had wanted to do. "He wanted to 'give' people what he called the ultimate freedom: freedom from being able to choose for themselves. And he almost succeeded. If I and the other Phantom Thieves didn't stop him, who knows what would have happened?"

"Oh." Akira knew that Issei felt bad for not being able to say anything more.

"It's ok, Issei. Sometimes inaction is the best course of action, despite what you think. You'll realise that there are times where you can do nothing but sit at the sidelines. Trust in your friends, alright?"

 _Your bond with the Perverted Highschooler has reached Level 9!_

"Thanks, Akira-senpai!" Akira smiled, Issei seemed to be absorbing his advice like a sponge and at least changing to be a better person although he could never change that perverse side of his. It was pretty much untouchable. And it was also the unique part that made Issei Issei.

 **"Maybe I can train him in Balance Breaker?"** Akira sweatdropped at Nidhogg's hopeful tone. There were two reasons why. One, if you'd heard a dragon sounding hopeful, you'd have the same reaction as well. Secondly, dragons typically didn't ask. They took.

"No, Nidhogg. We all know that you just want to beat the poor sod into the dirt again. Once is already enough as it is." Akira responded, finishing up the last bit of his curry.

 **"And the other reason?"** Metatron was sharp enough to tell that Akira had another reason for denying Nidhogg's out of the blue request.

"Issei needs to grow on his own. Giving him training will only serve as a crutch for him."

 **"I suppose so.** " Akira smirked, he had easily won the conversation once more.

"Oh, by the way, Issei. I should warn you about someone..."

 _Saturday Night, K_ uoh Academy

Issei's POV

Issei didn't want to admit it, with his pride on the line. But Akira was right, yet once again. Sitting on the sidelines while watching his Master get grilled by the various faction leaders was not very fun. More than once, he had wanted to try and help out Rias but Ddraig had luckily stopped him.

His eyes darted to the side where the angels sat. Two Seraphs, Michael and Gabriel. Flanked by Irina, his childhood friend and another Exorcist named Griseda. He had to admit, Gabriel was beautiful in a pure, innocent way just like Asia. Yet, the word beautiful wouldn't do her any justice. Hell, no words could do her any justice. [She's known as the most beautiful woman on Heaven for a reason, and also the strongest.] Ddraig decided to add his two cents.

The fallen angels were seated in the middle. Azazel, that sneaky bastard sat lazily, propping one of his legs up with the other one while wearing a smirk on his face. Behind him were two people. One was a girl with albino hair, and she could be easily on Rias' level of beauty. Even if he didn't want to admit it. And she was the person that Akira warned him about. For some reason, he couldn't help but feel an urge but to fight her. [So goes on the cycle...] He ignored Ddraig's musings, fully aware that she was the White Dragon Emperor, but Empress would be a more fitting title in this case. The man standing beside him was a tend winged fallen angel named Baraqiel, who apparently bore somewhat of a resemblance to Akeno Or was it the other way round? He didn't know.

Last but not least, Sirzechs Lucifer and Serafall Leviathan sat on the devils' side, as was where he stood now. He and his pellow peerage members along with the Student Council President's peerage and Grayfia Lucifuge stood in the devils' side, since they all had been involved in the Siege of Kuoh Academy. Why would they name the attack anyway? [Devils tend to make a mountain out of a molehill, especially if said molehill is already on the side of a moutain.] Issei didn't know whether to agree or disagree with that, but it seemed that Ddraig was speaking from experience. He wouldn't doubt his partner anyday though.

Sitting in the middle, facing the fallen angels was none other than the leader of the Shinto Gods, Amateratsu herself. Since she was a powerful being, no one had disagreed to her being the meditator for the conference.

Issei mentally sighed in relief as he spotted Rias making her way back to him, Kiba, Xenovia and Akeno. Koneko was in the clubroom along with the shy Gasper, in a sense babysitting him. But the question asked by Azazel made him stiffen uponce more. "Hey, where's that Akira kid, Sirzechs? You said that he was coming."

"I must admit, I'm somewhat interested in him as well. So where is Akira Kurusu, Sirzechs?" Michael chose to spoke up as well. Issei, at that moment knew that Sirzechs had been caught between a rock and a hard place. After all, Akira was not coming and he seemed to have been very adamant about it.

"Certain... circumstances led him to not coming." Issei was really curious about what his senpai did to fighten Sizrechs, but it seemed that neither Akira nor Sirzechs wanted to talk about it. Everyone had their own secerets, he guessed.

[Except that yours aren't well kept.] Ddraig snickered. Sadly, Issei couldn't refute that statement since his mum always seemed to know where he hid his porn stash.

"Oh? Please do elaborate these special circumstances." It seemed that Amateratsu was forced to step in, as Sirzechs revealed nothing while the two looked to said God for help.

"He made me swear on my title as Lucifer to not say it, and you know what that means." Issei thought that he noticed a wince from Sirzechs when said devil mentooned his title, as if recounting something unpleasant.

[Whatever the case, it seems that we won't be getting any answers. Swearing on your title in devil society is equal to a dragon's blood oath.] It was clear that Sirzechs was also a man of honour, in this case.

"Very well then. Please continue then." It seemed that the conference would go on without Akira Kurusu after all. And Issei didn't like the bad feeling he was getting.

 _Same time, Cafe_

Yu's POV 

"Why did you ask to meet now?" He couldn't help but notice the slight scowl that was present on Akira's face.

"Have you been approached by someone from a group called Khaos Brigade?" Yu could not simply help but deadpan harder than his default expression at the name of the group. "Yeah, I know." It seemed that Akira thought similar in regards to the name. Honestly, couldn't they have at least more creativity when naming a group?

"No. I've been training with Susanoo for the last few days. It's been far too long since I fought." Akira nodded at that answer, as if he was satisfied. For some reason, he could never tell what his fellow wildcard was thinking. The same probably appiled the other way round.

"I was spied by a member of that group. Apparently, the leader is the Infinity Dragon Ophis, but I suspect that it's more complicated than that. And the last thing I need is someone getting the word out that I can threaten a faction leader and get away with it."

"Seems like we both have a perchant for doing dumb things."

"Define dumb for the two of us." Yu could not help but smirk at the snide response. What they did looked completely fine to them, but would probably be considered dumb in the eyes of others.

"Fair enough." He finally conceeded, choosing to drink his warm cup of coffee instead.

That was when he felt it. No doubt his fellow wildcard felt it as well. Someone, or something had been listening to their conversation this entire time, and it couldn't be any of the three factions since they were having their big conference. The slight shift of something in the distance was more than enough for his instincts to tell him something was wrong. His instinct, was never wrong and it had only been sharpened further by fighting against Susanoo.

"Say, wanna head off?"

"Yeah." Grabbing their cups of coffee, the two of them stood up and headed off, with Yu leading the way. "Where do you want to go, Akira?"

"Nowhere in particular. Take your pick."

"I suppose a park?" With Akira's approval in the form of a nod, Yu led the way to the closet and most deserted park that he knew of.

 _Kuoh Academy_

Issei's POV 

Something was about to go wrong, and he could feel it. His instincts were screaming at him to do spmething, if anything at all, but he couldn't. Not when so many powerful people were here. They might take it as a sign of aggression, if he wasn't careful.

"Something wrong, Ise?" Rias turned to look at him, a concerned look over her beautiful features.

"Yeah. Hold my hand."

"Hey Issei what are you-"

[Boost!] [Transfer!] It seemed that Issei had managed to not do what he had hoped to do in time.

"May I ask what are you doing, Hyoudou Issei?" Despite feeling the pressure of everyone's gaze on him, he calmed himself down before speaking.

"Time's been frozen. I shrouded the room with a bit of my energy to prevent all of us from getting stuck in time, but it seems that I didn't make it in time." He gestured to Sona and her peerage, as well as Irina. Xenovia was holding Durandal, while Kiba held up his Balance Breaker.

"The kid's right. It's probably because of the dhampir who has Forbidden Balor View being forced into a pseudo Balance Breaker." Azazel analysed, noticing the purple portals that sprouted outside of the school building that they were in. "And we've got company. It seems that there will be always be those who will try to interfere when we want to make peace."

"Who will deal with this interference?" The gentle voice of Amateratsu rang through the air.

"I suggest that getting Gasper back in control is our top priority, but they probably have him guarded in the clubroom." This time, it was Grayfia who spoke up.

"How about using Castling? I have my other Rook piece in the clubroom as well." The suggestion from Rias was valid, but she would need backup.

"Bring the Red Dragon Emperor with you. Catch!" Azazel tossed something from his breast pocket, which turned out to be a bracelet? "Use it to control the vampire's Sacred Gear. It should work. And also, if you give him some of your blood, it should also give him control back. The bracelet's not guranteed to work, since it might stop the Sacred Gear's growth instead." Nodding his head, Issei turned to Rias, who had just been talking to Grayfia about modifying the Castling spell for two people to go through instead of one.

"Hey, Ddraig. Why did Azazel ask me to give Gasper my blood?" It was his burning curiousity that compelled him to ask the question.

[Dragon's blood is quite potent, by itself and as an ingredient in alchemy. Siegfried's legend is a perfect example of that and it's also the reason why Dragon's blood became so valued afterwards. The stronger the dragon, the more potent the blood is. ]

"Oh. So since I'm the Red Dragon Emperor, my blood should be potent enough to at least help Gasper regain control, right?"

[I believe that's the idea that Azazel has. I gotta give credit to him, never would I have thought of using Dragon's blood to stablize a Sacred Gear.]

"Come on, Issei. We're ready." He was quickly snapped out of his thoughts by Rias, who held his hands. To his credit, he didn't blush. Nidhogg had told him back when he was training/getting tortured that emotions during a fight could easily betray you, as an opponent might find a weakness against you.

"Yeah. Let's go and save Gasper and Koneko." With those words, the two of them disappeared in a flash of red light, the last thing he saw being Grayfia.

 _Deserted Park_

Yu's POV

"Here should be good." Nodding his head, Akira whipped out a pistol, and fired six quick shots in what seemed to be random spots around them. Yu watched impassively as six people jumped out of their hiding spots, dodging the bullets.

"Here, take this. You might need it." Yu found himself holding two items, a sleek white pistol with two wings extending out and a magazine. "I don't have anymore ammo, so try to use it conservatively."

"Yeah, thanks." Never had Yu been so glad for the airsoft lessons that he had taken from Uncle Dojima, they were certainly going to come in handy now.

"Who are you, and why are you following us?" Akira had chosen to face the six people that were now approaching them. The first one held a long spear that emitted a holy aura, which seemed to have been used to cut the bullet aimed for him judging by how he held it. **"Not just any spear. True Longinus, the spear that pierced the side of Jesus."** What were the odds of that happening? Well, at least he had some form of info, thanks to Metatron the Heavenly Host.

The second was the only lady of the group, holding what seemed to be a sword with a holy aura. A beautiful foreign one, with blonde hair and a cheerful appearance that would no doubt ensnare the hearts of any man. Honestly, what was with the holy auras? **"Sacred Gear Blade Blacksmith. The counterpart to Sword Birth, it allows for creation of holy blades."** Metatron answered once more.

The third was a young boy, who had seemingly created a monster out of nowhere that had obviously blocked the bullets for him as the beast-like creature dissolved in front of him. He walked forth with his hands shoved in his pocket, no real expression showing on his face. **"Lady Luck must hate you. A lot. It sounds a lot like Annihilation Maker, a high tier Longinus class Sacred Gear which allows the creation of monsters from the wielder's imagination."** This time, it was Izanagi who commented.

The fourth was a handsome young man with white hair that stood tall, four swords sheathed behind him while he held a fifth one, also no doubt which he used to cut the bullet. Again. Now, what was with the cutting bullets part? **"Those aren't ordinary swords. They are demonic ones and the one he's holding? It's Gram."**

The fifth had an arrogant smirk on his face, and Yu really wanted to wipe it off. But he stayed his hand for now. He was tall, taller than him and Kanji, who had been the tallest person he'd seen in his life. Well built as well. Other than that, he didn't seem to be much but Yu knew better than to underestimate him.

The last was a bespectacled man. If Yu had to guess, he was the spellcaster of the group, the one who stayed in the backlines but he seemed to be no pushover either.

"Peace. We come not to fight, but to talk. My name is Cao Cao, wielder of True Longinus and descendant of Cao Cao from Romance of the Three Kingdoms." The lance wielding guy introduced himself first. If what he said was true, then why hadn't they kept their weapons?

"Name's Jeanne, holder of the spirit of Joan d' Arc and wielder of Blade Blacksmith! Nice to meet you!" He girl introduced herself with an upbeat tone, before gesturing to the boy beside her. "He's Leonardo and doesn't talk much. Also the wielder of Annihilation Lost."

"I'm Siegfried, but people call me Sieg. Descendent of the original Siegfried and wielder of demonic swords." Well, at least the swordsman had a sense of honour as he sheathed his fifth sword, leaving him unarmed.

"I'm Heracles, descendent of Heracles himself and wielder of Variant Detonation." For some reason, his introduction sounded really arrogant, which made Yu want to wipe off that smirk even more.

"Georg, descendant of Gerog Faust and wielder of Dimension Lost."

"Then speak. Why are you here?"

"We are from the Hero faction of the Khaos Brigade, and we come to speak to you as fellow heroes rather than as enemies."

"We do not see heroes in front of us. All we see are ones who are imposters." Akira nodded his head, agreeing with him.

"Imposters? I'm afraid you've gotten that wrong." Cao Cao tried to salvage the conversation as he held back the now identified Heracles who wanted to charge them. It seem that Heracles was a brash person, something that he could maybe abuse.

"Then tell me, what is a hero? Because I'm sure that having descended from a hero or holding a hero's spirit does not instantly make you a hero." It was Akira's turn.

"I just want to invite the two of you to our faction, the Hero faction."

"I'm afraid that neither of us will be joining the Khaos Brigade. Even if you weren't affliated with the Khaos Brigade, we still wouldn't join. After all, you are not true heroes. If you were really heroes, you would have been there to save humanity when Izanami wanted to shroud the world in fog to kill off all humans! You would have been there when Yaldabaoth wanted to enslave every single human!" For some reason, his fellow wildcard seemed to be rather expressive tonight, something he hadn't expected. But he wasn't going to blame Akira. He was right. Real heores wouldn't have shyed away, but rather risk their lives to save whatever they could.

"I'll show you a hero!" This seemed to finally opened the floodgates as Heracles punched the ground, creating a powerful fissure that snaked quickly towards Akira and Yu, effectively seperating the two of them. It seemed that Yu got stuck with Heracles, Gerog and Siegfried while Akira had Leonardo, Jeanne and Cao Cao to deal with.

Smashing a card, Akira quickly transformed into his Phantom Thief outfit while Yu grabbed what seemed to be empty air and summoned the Ame no Nuboko. "We'll show you the power that we gain forged through the trials of fire!"

It was on.

 **A/N: Probably was drunk when writing this chapter, had no idea what I was doing.** **Conference Arc will last for maybe 2 more chapters before it ends.**

 **I've also been getting reviwes asking about whether Minato will be appearing in this fanfic, and it's a maybe thing. I might add him, if the conditions are favourable.**

 **Hoped you guys enjoyed this chapter and leave a review if you guys think that there's room for improvement or any requests that you want! Some requests will be considered. Absurd requests are obviously not allowed and dun flame. I am only a amateur at this shit.**

 **On that note, peace out mofos!**

 **322n(Ya friendly asian)**

 ** _Songs (Some chill and cool music from LVTHER)_**

 **Friends Again - LVTHER ft Claire Ridgely**

 **This Love - LVTHER ft Savoi**

 **DOTS - LVTHER ft Jenny Broke the Window**

 **Some Kind of Magic - LVTHER ft MYZICA (by far the best in my opinion)**

 **One Look - LVTHER ft Mammals**


	23. Chapter 22

Chapter 22: A Hero?

 **A/N: Right, before we start, I'll like to say that I suck at fight scenes. This is my latest attempt at it. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. Anyway, enjoy the story!**

 _Time frames and locations_

 **Persona Skills and Speech**

[Dragon Speech/Boosted Gear Skills]

POVs

 _Saturday Night, Deserted Park_

Akira's POV

It seemed that Akira got stuck with two close range fighters, while the third being a support who could create monsters to back his comrades up. Not the best odds, but he had faced far worse than before. "I only wish that it had not come to this. Give up, you and Narukami are outnumbered."

"Ongyo-Ki! **Heat Riser!"** A quick call gave him the buffs that he would no doubt need for this fight, and he needed to take out the monsters that were already headed his way. "You underestimate us, Cao Cao. A hero will fight to the bitter end no matter the odds, and I'm certain that I can win against these odds."

"Oh? Then show me, why you think you can face these odds and win." A quick stab from True Longinus was quickly evaded, and Akira leapt back to avoid the next blow by Jeanne, before pulling out the Tyrant Pistol to shoot down a few monsters that had been heading his way.

"I've faced worse before, Cao Cao. More than anything you could ever imagine." Keeping Paradise Lost, he summoned another weapon. "Odds are, you probably won't believe what I'm holding now. Behold, the sword that will reduce the nine realities to ashes, Laevaetinn." The story behind how he could even summon this sword was a bittersweet one. It had been after Akechi sacrificing himself so as to allow the lot of them to escape from the ship and the shadows. They were feeling the fatigue that they had accumulated after fighting him and trying to get to the source of the treasure.

Afterwards, he could feel the power of the sword humming through his soul, even if it sounded impossible. If Akira had to guess, it was his final gift, along with the power to fuse Metatron. Akechi, though he might have been a bastard(in Ryuji's eyes), was still a good friend and definitely had represented the Arcana of Justice perfectly.

"What? How do you have it?"

Swinging down the greatsword with both arms, he cried out the chant. "Cleanse and purge the nine worlds of impurity, Laevaetinn!" Akira smirked. Watching the two melee fighters leap away in an attempt to dodge his attack, while his true intention was someone else.

"Shit! He's aiming for Leonardo and his monsters! Balance Breaker: Polar Night Longinus Chakravartin." Seven similar lights which faded to reveal seven orbs surrounded Cao Cao, before he called out what he assumed to be the ability of one of them. "Atsusa Ratana!" Well, wasn't this just great? Apparently Cao Cao could teleport others, and no doubt himself. At least the monsters had been annihilated by the wave of fiery flames, which meant that there would be no monsters on him for a while as the wave cut through them like butter, before dissolving. However, a single orb flew from Cao Cao, striking Leonardo before he disappeared and reappeared next to said human.

"That's a underhanded trick, you know? Aiming for a small little kid like Leon-kun."

"A small little kid who can create monsters." Akira deadpanned at Jeanne, who didn't seem to care at all.

"So you've forced me to use my Balance Breaker. So be it, I'll show you my power." Akira turned his head just in time to see Cao Cao aiming for his chest. The guy was sure fast, and Akira couldn't do anything about it. Or could he?

"Kakoi Kuzushi." Quickly snapping his fingers, he created a flash of bright light which disorientated Cao Cao, allowing him to perform a somewhat clumsy counterattack with Balmung. With equal speed, Cao Cao managed to move his body, only causing a small but noticiable gash on his left shoulder. His instincts screamed at him to leap to the right, which he did just in time to prevent his chest from being skwewered on a holy sword, courtesy of Jeanne.

"You do know that it's not nice to attack people while they're busy, right?" Akira quipped, pulling out his pistol and emptying the first magazine to create some space between himself and his three opponents before quickly reloading. Damm, this was his last magazine. He would have to drop by at Iwai's soon.

"Joan wouldn't have done that." He chose to add, trying to provoke a reaction. From the little crash course about Joan that he had earlier from some angels before they fought, she was supposedly a kindred spirit, and had never taken a single life despite having fought in a war.

"You are starting to get annoying, do you know that?" Her angry pout was cute, if he dared to say it. All things aside, it seemed that any mention of Joan seemed to trigger her, as if she hated getting compared to the heroic spirit she held.

Akira could actually relate. It seemed that people held, or at least once held expectations for her since she was the holder of Joan d' Arc. But she probably didn't live up to the expectations set for her, perhaps that was why she got triggered at the mention of Joan's name.

Putting those thoughts at the back of his head, Akira dismissed Balmung, leaving him with Paradise Lost once more. "Good reflexes, but it won't help once your weapon is gone. Chatsuka Ratana!" Another orb flew away from Cao Cao, but this time it flew towards him, his weapon.

"Unfortunately, you won't find my weapon that easy to break." Akira had the point of his dagger stabbed against the orb, as he tried to push back the orb that was trying so hard to destroy his weapon. To be honest, it was beginning to hurt himself as well. But then again, this weapon was forged from his very soul, so what would happen if Paradise Lost broke? He wasn't very eager to find out.

Also, why aim for his weapon? Perhaps Cao Cao thought that Paradise Lost was a base for summoning other weapons. Huh, he might actually be right. Akira never thought of how the weapons appeared, but just simply used it. Maybe he should think more on this subject afterwards.

"Impressive, to think you can hold off my Chatsuka Ratana for so long. However, your weapon will eventually be broken. Nothing can withstand it. Also, you're wide open." With his free hand, Akira pulled off his mask.

"So you've forced my hand. Congratulations." A single metal hand blocked what might have been a lethal strike from Jeanne. Cao Cao could only gasp in shock, as they stared at the seven feet giant that was an angel with twelve wings behind him.

When he spoke, it was a loud, booming voice that seemed vibrate the surroundings for a second. The voice was filled with authority, as he pushed back the sword, along with Jeanne who let go at the last moment to not get caught in its momentuem. Yet, the voice also held a sort of kindness in it. How could anyone, even if an angel, sound so kind and stern at the same time? It was simple. **"So, this is Joan's next holder."**

"Who... is that?" The sheer presence of the angel in front of them seemed to have unnerved them, even if a little. It was clear, from the apprehension fof Ca Cao.

 **"Funny how we don't show ourselves for a few centuries and mortals start forgetting about us."** He commented, folding five of the six sets of his wings as he descended to the ground, fully revealing his appearance which had been partially hidden by the blue flames. An angel with metallic like skin, which was in fact a thin suit of armour made for a being such as him. Curly brown hair with azure eyes that seemed to be able to penerate and see your very soul. **"I go by many titles, but my original title has been and will always be the Voice of God."**

"How?"

 **"How? What an interesting question. But that's not the important part now, wielder of True Longinus.** **I'll admit, discovering a subspecies of the Balance Breaker is no small feat. But it is still no match for a weapon that has been forged and tempered by the fires of his very soul."**

"What?"

"My soul is much stronger than you think, Cao Cao!" The red ruby on Paradise Lost glinted for a second, before Akira used a surprising amount to drive the dagger through the orb, slicing it in half cleanly.

"Not possible!"

"Possible, Cao Cao. Paradise Lost is not just a part of my soul. It represents my soul, Cao Cao. And I tend to do the impossible, like killing a God without a Sacred Gear, especially without a Longinus." The link between him and the dagger was weird, to say the least. It showed a reflection of his soul. If he hesitated, the blade would get dull but as long as he was sure and steadfast, it will forever be sharp and never receive a single scratch.

"You must be lying. No way can a human kill a God without a Longinus."

 **"The Trickster tells the truth.** **Honestly, I find his ability to defy all logic be rather absurd."** Metatron made his presence known once again, sounding as if he was reminiscent.

"Let me tell you a little something, Cao Cao. I am a wildcard. I defy everything, be it logic or fate. I give hope when all seems to be lost, even if I'm forgotten by the people later on. You are not a hero. Neither are your fellow comrades. A hero, I can safely say, is someone who would risk their life for the world, even for the oblivious. A hero gives others hope, even when all seems hopeless. That is what a hero truly is. Not noble, not having outstanding qualities. Those are what people believe what a hero is, but their eyes blind them from the truth. **This** is m **y re** solv **e, C** ao Ca **o. Can** you ma **tch it?"**

Yu's POV

A swordsman, a fist fighter and a long ranged spellcaster. The odds seemed decent at the very least, but the mage would be his biggest problem with the amount of potential support he could provide.

"Give up, you're outnumbered. I do not wish to do this." It seemed that Sieg at least had some form of honour as a swordsman, but Yu merely crushed a card to quickly cast a Heat Riser on himself with Trumpeter.

"I'll like to think that the odds are in my favour. I am no ordinary human after all." Swinging the Ame no Nuboko with one hand, he created a powerful shockwave that was easily dispelled by Hecules creating another fissure.

"That all you got? If so, you're weak! Variant Detonation!" A glowing aura surrounded Heracles, and Yu knew that it was bad news. Judging by the name of his Sacred Gear, it seemed to make things explode. A swift punch connected to the ground where Yu once stood, and a rather large explosion occured.

"If all you can do is to punch and make things explode, you'll have to do better than that." Yu responded, batting away a single fireball that Gerorg had used. This was almost too easy, as he lazily blocked a swift but weak blow from Siegfried that aimed for his left arm.

Good, he was slowly getting used to the one handed style that Izanagi had taught him when he meditated. A strange mist began to creep around him, which reminded him of the fog in Inaba. Ah, good times. Though, before he knew it, he found Heracles in front of him, a fist wound back and ready to punch the living daylights out of him. Was the strange mist the reason why Heracles had been able to move so fast?

He never got the chance to try and figure out why as he felt the impact of the fist, with an explosion to top it off. Oh, and also sent flying a few meters away. How lovely. "That'll show you!"

"Still standing? Impressive, not many can take a punch from Heracles' strength along with Variant Detonation and still be standing." Indeed, Yu was still standing although his clothes had been partially ruined by the explosion.

"I assume that you're the reason for Heracles appearing in front of me?" Yu asked the bespectacled magician, who merely smiled.

"I won't confirm nor deny." Right, so now he had to be careful of surprise attacks from any of the two melee fighters, all set up by a mage who could possibly transport them through space and time to catch him off guard with the help of some mist. Then he understood. "I see. They're not the ones being transported. I am the one being transported toeards them."

Another attack came this time in the form of Sieg dual wielding two different swords. However, Yu was ready this time, managing to block the two swords with some effort. "So your naginata cannot be cut by Nothung. What exactly is it?"

Yu shrugged off the attack by pushing off the swords, before skillfully dodging another punch by Heracles. "My naginata is more than you think."

"Why aren't you attacking? Are you not taking us seriously?" Instead of answering Sieg's question, Yu chose to block another sword blow instead. The silent response earned him another blow, one that Yu let Heracles connect with, only without the flying back this time round before sending a sharp kick towards Heracles to force him to back off for a bit while he assessed this fight further. So far, they won't posing too many threats, if that was all he could do.

Yu clicked his tongue, looking at his now almost non-existent shirt. It seemed that he'll have to go shopping for new clothes after this. Times like this, he wished he had an outfit that could never be ruined just like Akira's Phantom Thief outfit. Null Physical and Resist Fire didn't cover his clothes after all.

"You want me to take you seriously? Persona." Crushing a tarot card of the Strength Arcana, he stayed silent as the eager being first began to manifest beside him in a flash of blue flames. Honestly, it felt like the powers of Persona were linked to the colour blue for some reason. The sword that he held manifested first, followed by his body and armour.

" **Hm**." That was the first sound made by the warrior as he stared at his counterpart, noting every single detail down. The golden greatsword that was clearly his weapon had been stabbed into the ground, glinting despite the moonless sky.

"Cat got your tongue?" If it wasn't for the fact that Yu said it in such a straight manner, his Personae might not have been laughing inside his mind. And while it did give him a headache, it was still the least of his worries right now. His opponents however, were as amused as his Personae. Shock was clearly etched on their faces as the three of them tried to process what they saw. After all, he was almost the splitting image of their fellow swordsman.

"I... don't understand" Sieg was the calmest of the trio, his discipline having come from the time when he was an Exorcist of the Church. But something that defied all logic stood before him now. How could someone, who looked so similar to him, have Balmung? Reaching up to his back, he mentally sighed in relief as he found the hilt of Balmung still present. But that opened up another question, with infinite possibilities. How in the world was there another Balmung that easily rivalled his? How was it possible?

"Defying logic. It's what we do best." Yu muttered, but it was loud enough to be heard by his three opponents.

"Logic? That's quite a bold claim, since we live in a world where magic exists." Gerog commented, having recovered from his shock after Sieg. Still, Yu could tell that he was unnerved even if slightly.

"I assure you, I push past the boundaries of logic, even by supernatural standards. Especially since I've fought three Gods so far and lived to tell the tale."

"You're lying." Gerog seemed to be fervently hoping that Narukami Yu wasn't telling the truth, calling out his bluff. Yu shurgged his shoulders. If they didn't want to listen, so be it.

 **"It is your choice to believe it or not. Now, enough talking. Let us end this."** It seemed that Siegfried had grown tired of listening to them and was eager to battle. Must be the side effects of having the blood of a dragon coursing through him, if the low growl at the end of his sentence was of any indication. Uprooting the sword with a single arm, he pointed it at Sieg. **"If you truly believe to be worthy of Balmung, show me. Show me why you deserve to wield it. Show me why you are worthy to bear my name."**

Siegfried was a warrior. Not one for many words. He was the kind to believe that words were nothing but a distraction on a battlefield, and spoke only when necessary. But his skill couldn't be denied. Yu had seen firsthand how the master swordsman had handled Balmung the first time he summoned Siegfried into battle, and he had been amazed back then. Handling a greatsword, especially Balmung was no easy feat, from what he could tell.

"I told you, I defy all logic." Yu muttered, before parting the air with Ame no Nuboko once more as the two of them charged against the three.

"Perhaps you're right." Gerog admitted, before surroundings Siegfried and Yu with the mist.

 _Occult Research Club Room, Saturday Night_

Issei's POV 

For a moment, all was silent as he and his King teleported into the ORC room via Castling. Castling, a move which swapped the positions of the Rook and King, a move typically used to put the King out of danger. Quickly taking stock of his surroundings, his anger skyrocketed to new heights as he spotted Koneko bound to the wall upside down with magic cuffs and Gasper cornered by several magicians and about to be given the same treatment.

It seemed that none of the attackers had anticipated the Castling move, as Issei moved away from his spot within a single moment, punching the closet attacker to him before the Boosted Gear called out something that surprised most of his attackers. [Blade!] The blade of a sword appeared from his Sacred Gear, and Issei instantly pushed his entire right arm towards the next attacker, piercing through the chest immediately before the rest of the blade was ejected out to reveal a rather simple sword that had a holy aura at the same time.

"Shit! How did they get here?" Magic circles began to form on the palms of the rest of the attackers, ready to shoot out some spells, but Issei and Rias made short work of them with Ascalon and the Power of Destruction respectively. Honestly, Issei had never been more glad for the impromptu sword fighting session that he and Kiba had after getting Ascalon. [Even if it does sound inappropriate. Imagine if that Aika girl catches wind of it.]

"Not now, Ddraig." Issei responded, storing Ascalon back into the Boosted Gear. Ripping off the magic cuffs that held Koneko with ease, he turned to Gasper, who was still shivering and huddled in the corner.

"Gasper? Are you alright?"

He sniffled as he spoke. "I'- sorry, Issei! I couldn't stop them when they came and they forced me to use my Sacred Gear othereise they would harm Koneko."

"Don't worry, Gasper. You did good. Now, we need you to control your Sacred Gear. Others have been caught in your Sacred Gear's power." There seemed to be some sort of bracelet that was on Gasper's wrist, which was taken care of by snapping it off.

[It looks rather smiliar to the one Azazel gave you. If I had to guess, they managed to either steal or duplicate it and then modified it to amplify Gasper's Sacred Gear to their advantage. The one Azazel gave you probably won't work now. Your best bet would be to let him drink your blood.] Issei clicked his tongue, he wished that it hadn't come to this.

"But how?" Gasper's timid voice broke his train of thought, and he knew that he had to at least try. There was no other option.

"Gasper, I need you to trust me on this, alright?" He knew of Gasper's aversion to consuming blood, but it had to be done. [Blade!] Carefully slitting his wrist, he now held out the wrist that had blood free flowing from it. Hopefully, it should be more than enough. "Here, drink it."

"B-but I can't..." He trembled in fear, trying to shrink away from the dripping blood if it was even possible.

Issei bit the inside of his cheek. What could he do? "Gasper, look. There are times where you have but no choice to face your fears. This is one such time, Gasper. Do not allow the bad guys to continue using your Sacred Gear against your comrades. I admit, I was at one point scared as well. Everyone has experienced fear at one point. Don't let that fear control you. Remember, you control the fear and not the other way round."

To his utmost surprise, Gasper tentatively licked his bloodied wirst without any hesitation after his small speech. "I won't be afraid. No more." He whispered, eyes glowing yellow as Issei watched in morbid fascination. Within seconds, Gasper's eyes faded back to his normal doe brown colour. "I did it.." Ok, so apparently he could easily inspire people with a couple of words. Good to know.

"He's probably exhausted." Issei announced, looking at the Rook who had just finished reporting to the King. "We should probably put him somewhere else, it isn't safe here."

"Come on, Issei. We'll have to leave him in the sealed room. We can't afford to carry him all the way back to the conference room." Nodding his head, Issei hauled Gasper over his shoulder. A single stray thought crossed his mind as he began to make his way a floor down to the room where Gasper had been previously sealed.

What was Akira-senpai doing right now?

[Probably something stupid. That kid sounds like he has a perchant for doing stupid things like you.] And if only Ddraig stopped saying stuff like that to him. It did hurt his pride after all.

"Say, if I remember correctly, Akira-senpai calls his powers Persona. Any idea what could that mean, Ddraig?"

[Look, I'm honestly as confused as you are. Typically, a Persona refers to a mask that a person wears like a personality, but that kid brings it to a whole new level.] The admittance from Ddraig was a rare thing, and Issei was not gloating for once.

"But if he wore a mask then had to rip it off, then why call it Persona in the first place?" Persona was a mask, so why would he rip off his mask? To reveal his true self that was hidden from the world and express it in the form of those Personae that he summoned?

[Not even I would know. To think that a dragon like me who's lived long enough to get sealed into a green marble still can find new things to ponder over. Perhaps Kohryu was right.]

"Who's Kohryu? And what was he right about?" He had heard Akira mention it in passing as one of his Personae, but never really paid attention to him.

[Perhaps the wisest and oldest dragon that I've ever met. He was supposedly in a league of his own, able to nearly match up to me and Albion in one on one situations. But no one knows where he went, and he took Seiryu along with him. I missed the opportunity to fight him, but I don't think he would have chosen to fought me anyway. He's smart enough to outwit me to reject a duel. ] Ddraig sounded wistful, as if he missed him. Was wistful he right word?

"So what was he right about?"

[The potential that humans have. If what Akira said was true, then killing a God on his own with those Persona of his is probably what Kohryu predicted. Maybe even more.]

"You sure have high expectations for humans."

[I still remembered how he said humans were unpredictable. He was right, I guess. I never thought that I would get stuck with a mega pervert like you. But, all things aside, you're at least slowly toning down that perverseness of yours. I don't think I could ever survive if your perverseness became well known enough to impact my name.]

"Is that a compliment or an insult?" His suspicious tone was repiled by a hearty chuckle.

[Both, Oppai Baka.] Issei couldn't help but grumble under his breath, hearing that accursed nickname that the Kuoh Academy students had pegged him with since Year one.

"I hate you so much."

 **A/N:** **Well, this marks the end of this chapter, as per usual. School's startin soon, so my updating schedule will be pretty irregular.**

 **So I've been working on the Campione Persona crossover as well, but I'm also toying with a Shokugeki no Soma and Persona fanfic. I admit, I have almost written one chapter of each crossover, over the period of the last few weeks. Leave a review and tell me which one you guys want, cuz I'm still working on both, though only one will be published depending on what you guys want.** **I'll announcr results after a few more chapters.**

 **Anyway,** **hoped you guys enjoyed this chapter and leave a review if you guys think that there's room for improvement or any requests that you want! Some requests will be considered. Absurd requests are obviously not allowed and dun flame. I am only a amateur at this shit.**

 **On that note, peace out mofos!**

 **322n(Ya friendly asian)**


	24. Chapter 23

**Just to note, I'll be starting to respond to some reviews before the start of each chaapter.**

 **Responses to reviews**

 **kaze48: It's kind of hard for me to make longer ones, with the amount of schoolwork that I have and not to mention the projects.**

 **tsun: I'll like to point out that the laws of the TV World/Metaverse may not work as proper, so Yu wasn't sure if it would properly work or not.**

 **Zuskato Zyus: Contemplating on a beta reader, but I don't really have the time to source out one.**

 **Well, that's all that i'm going to respond to for this chapter. Enjoy!**

Chapter 23: Struggles

Time frames and locations

 **Persona Skills and Speech**

[Dragon Speech/Boosted Gear Skills]

POVs

 _Sunday Night, Deserted Park_

Yu's POV 

**"Why toy with them when they could be grovelling on the ground, despair in their eyes as they realise how outmatched they are?"** He didn't want to admit it, but Magatsu Izanagi raised a valid point even if the second part was a bit... excessive. Why was he even bothering to fight when he could easily end it with little to no effort?

"Mercy. My mercy is different from yours, Magatsu Izanagi. Let them learn of their own folly rather then forcefully teach them." He finally decided on an answer. They still didn't understand how outclassed they were, and chose to fight on. Siegfried could easily take on the three of them and still come out on top, but they still didn't understand that.

He could almost see the sneer that formed on Magatsu Izanagi's face. **"If you think like that, so be it.** **Know that it will only get you so far."** Those were the last haunting words that he provided before fading back into the Sea of Souls, leaving him and Siegfried alone at the forth of his mind.

 **"Akasha** **Arts!"** Performing a wide slash, a powerful shcokwave was sent out with such speed that only their resident swordsman, Sieg was able to evade the second blow, while the other two were forced to tank both hits. Heracles did not seem to be too fazed other than twin shallow cuts on his arms which he had used to block, but Gerog, being the magician he was, wasn't doing too well. Having near to zero defence capabilities and slower reflexes, he had been to forced to cast a barrier, albeit a weak one that was instantly shattered by the first blow before the second one connected fully with him. A large gash was present on his forearm, which he'd used to try in an attempt to protect his body. The shock in his face told Yu that he wasn't expecting to be attacked like that.

 **"There's a fine line between bravery and stupidity, but you clearly do not know where the line lies."** Siegfried growled, watching the two frontline fighters attack him once more. **"How foolish, but it is in the nature of humans to be as such."**

"You speak as if you weren't human once." Gerog retaliated back, firing spells from the backlines before using the mist to transport his allies.

 **"The past does not matter. Not anymore. Only the present does. I am now Siegfried, a dragon. Not a human anymore."** Siegfried responded seriously, pushing Heracles and Sieg back with little to no effort.

"It doesn't matter if you're a dragon or not. Make no mistake, we will bring you down!" The sheer arrogance from Heracles made Yu want to really cough up his coffee from earlier, and that was saying a lot. Hell, even Hi-No-Kagutsuchi wasn't this bad when he fought him. Yu wanted to hit himself for not listening to Magatsu Izanagi earlier. He had been right all along. Heracles' arrogance, combined with Sieg's honour wouldn't make them back down, no matter what unless he soundly defeated them.

"Do you know what sets apart bravery and stupidity? It is the fact that you still believe that you will come out on top, when the outcome is clearly not in your favour."

"As if!" The arrogant expression was lost as the three heard Yu's next words, all turning pale.

"Let me reintroduce myself. I am Narukami Yu, wielder of Ame no Nuboko, aspect of Izanagi-no-Okami, Slayer of Izanami-no-Okami and one of the two slayers of Hi-no-Kagutsuchi!" Screw hiding his identity, he was tired of hiding his true self.

 **"Vorpal Blade."** He whispered. Ever since becoming an aspect of Izanagi-no-Okami, he could easily use Persona skills, although he was limited to some of them for some odd reason. They were mainly the high tier physical skills and a few elemental ones. The next time he met Igor or Izanagi-no-Okami, he would have to ask more.

" **Akasha Arts!"** Disappearing in a flash, Yu dashed around, performing a myriad of slashes that seemed to freeze in mid air, as Siegfried performed another wide arc, this one seemingly even larger then before. While he had been busy talking, Siegfried had used the opportune time to perform a **Mind Charge**. Indeed, words were nothing more than a distraction on the battlefield. Yu smirked, this would finish it. A combo like this would certainly prove to be near fatal, with a Charged Akasha arts and a Vorpal Blade, which was perhaps one of the highest, if not the highest physical tier skill in terms of Area of Effect, as Yousuke would put it. Also, lesser enemies meant that more slashes would connect.

"Now!" Yu muttered as he returned to his original spot. The slashes slid into place, just as the Akasha Arts connected with them.

He watched impassively as the slashes cut straight into flesh, drawing blood just as the Akasha Arts flung them back like a ragdoll, sending all three sprawling onto the dirt. **"My duty is done, I take my leave."** Kneeling before Yu, Siegfried stabbed Balmung into the ground in front of him as he slowly faded into blue flames, leaving Yu alone. He slowly moved towards the fallen warriors, not being able to help but feel that something was wrong. Something was very wrong in the air, and it made his hair stand on end. Not many could do that to him.

Akira's POV 

He could feel it, though he didn't want to say it. Something was coming, and it was big. It wasn't heading straight for them, so its target was something else. Or was it? He couldnn't tell. Either way, something big was coming to Kuoh, and it was coming too fast for his own comfort.

" **Megidoloan**. Declearing the attack, Metatron lifted up his two hands, sending out a hemisphere of raw divine power.

"Mala Ratana!" A pearl met the oncoming sphere of divine energy, before the force of nature seemingly disappeared, although that was not the case, hearing the explosion of the Megidoloan in some area behind him.

So he could transport away attacks that threatened to harm him. The only question was, how long would it take for him before he could transport away another attack? No doubt this ability had to have some sort of cooldown, otherwise he would have done the same to his other attacks long ago.

"Cao Cao! Jeanne! Leonardo! We're getting out of here!" He heard the coughing, and turned to his right to spot three bloodied warriors. Did Yu manage to pull a devastating combo or something to force them back? It looked like they had been hit hard with a Vorpal Blade and another physical skill, charged up no less. If Yu could perform a Vorpal Blade of that level and still execute a combo like that, he would hate to face him on the battlefield as an enemy. He hadn't mastered the synergy thing with his Personae yet.

"What happened?"

"Narukami Yu happened. He performed some sort of time space technique which left slashes all over the place. There were too many to dodge. We need to go now!"

"Kahabatei Ratana!" Sending out what Akira assumed to be his fourth pearl, he watched as it flew forth and transformed into a small platoon of roughly 15 warriors, all holding of what seemed to be a hollow mimicry of the True Longinus. Screw it, Akira had no time for this shit.

Summoning his rifle(or was it Satanael's?), Akira put a bullet through the head of every single warrior, before he took careful aim at Cao Cao. Just as the mist began to surround the six of them, he squeezed the trigger, his aim true as he struck a small spot where the mist had not covered Cao Cao's stomach.

The blood splattering and Cao Cao clutching his stomach were the last things he saw as the group of six finally disappeared from sight, leaving him and the angel alone.

 **"So that one wields Dimension Lost. A rather terrifying Longinus."** Akira bit the inside of his cheeks at Metatron's words. Hearing the only angel that came close to rivalling God say that was not exactly reassuring. And the somewhat calming tone was certainly not helping.

"What can it do?"

 **"It allows for time space maniplulation. Though not offensive in nature, the potential it holds is so great that Azazel deemed it as perhaps the most powerful Longinus. As you saw earlier, he could transport away himself and ailles, which is only a small showing of its abilities. Its Balance Breaker is hard to achieve, but it allows the wielder to seal anyone or anything into a dimension until the wielder wills otherwise. Multiple dimensions can be created, but more energy will be required to maintain them."**

"Thanks, Metatron."

 **"Anytime, Trickster. I shall go now. Be** **careful**." The last warning by Metatron was enough to keep him on guard, as Metatron faded into the night, a small blaze of blue flames showing where he once stood.

"So you decided to send them a message too, huh?"

"They're persistent, that's for sure. After all, it is not in our nature to kill as well." Akira responded, dismissing his Phantom Thief outfit.

"You're one to talk about such a topic."

"I did what had to be done. It was either kill or be killed both times, and both deserved the deaths that they both were looking for. Only that the first was not smart enough to see that he was gazing into the jaws of Death when he challenged me."

"Harsh but true. Did you feel it?" Akira's eyes narrowed, hearing Yu's words as he tried to again pinpoint what he had sensed before, but to no avail.

"It was only in a passing moment. Now it's gone." Akira frowned. He partially disliked having unknowns, and that was for good reason. In a world like this, Knowledge is Power. To have knowledge about your enemies meant to have power over them. Well, at least for most of the cases.6

"Huh, that's strange. I feel it now. And it's approaching us." The uneasy tone from Yu did not make Akira feel any better.

"The ability, to sense me. You, intrigue me." The emotionless voice was more than enough to raise alarms in his mind as he spun around, index finger ready to pull the trigger of the rifle at the speaker.

"You, must be the one who frightened off Kuroka." Then it clicked into his mind as he finally realised whom the little girl who was standing in front of him was. And he was pointing his rifle at her. This wasn't good. Not fucking good at all. He'd bet anyday that if they weren't in such a dire situation, Yu would be laughing his ass off.

"You're Ophis, aren't you?"

 _Kuoh Academy_

Issei's POV

He hadn't been expecting the fight so soon, but here he was, fighting for his life again. Sure, he had expected that he would have to fight the host of Alboin some time in the future but now? Really, fate just loved fucking with him. What could he do?

He was just a no name devil who had recently unlocked his Balance Breaker and couldn't maintain it for several months, unlike his female counterpart who bore the surname Lucifer. [Remember this, Issei. You are your own person. Do not compare yourself to others.]

"She's still strong though."

[Then crush her! Show her what it means to be up against the Red Dragon Emperor!] It sounded as if Ddraig was slowly being reduced to his primal instinct of fighting. It was almost frightening, to hear such a powerful being being reduced to nothing but his base instincts as he tried to shut out the roar that was deafeningly loud in his mind.

"I don't think that it will be that easy though. But what can I do? The flames are useless unless I find an opening..." Issei muttered to himself, subconsciously blocking another powerful punch from Vali

[Boost!] [Divide!] It was a futile cycle as Vali tried to drain away his power, only for him to come back just as strong as before. This was getting nowhere, and he knew that he had to play smart now, especially since he could only give this up for so long.

A stray question ran into his mind however, distracting him ever so briefly. Why was Ddraig acting like that? Wouldn't he have centuries to train himself on staying calm? [Our base instinct still rules us all unfortunately. You can't always keep it down and will succumb to it from time to time.] Ah, at least Ddraig was back to normal. For now, at the very least.

"Ddraig, what do the wings function as besides being the Sacred Gear?" Clashing in Balance Breaker was beginning to take a toll on him, and he had to end this soon or risk losing the battle. Something that he had obeserved was the fact that there seemed to act as some sort of exhaust filter on the wings, much like an exhaust pipe for cars. with the wings constantly releasing faint streams of energy.

[They are meant to filter out the excess energy that the user cannot absorb. Every host has its- Oh... Of all the hosts, you were only the fourth to think of that.]

"Then you probably know where this is going, Ddraig. Wish me luck." [Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!]

"More for me? How kind of you!"

"Yeah, and it's all for you!" Issei yelled, pointing his right gauntleted arm at her armour.

[Transfer!] If she only took half his power and still had to filter out the excess, could he overload her with too much energy such that her armour couldn't filter it in time? Well, he was about to find out.

As the Transfer happened, his face nearly lit up as the blue wings behind his rival lit up, glowing so bright to the point that he had to shield his eyes for a second, before he heard a similar voice ring out.

[Vali! Regain your balance!] The voice sounded somewhat strained, but he didn't care. He had created an opening large enough to use his flames.

"Hey, Ddraig. How's the move we've been working on?"

[Go ahead.] If he could see the face of Ddraig right now, it would no doubt hold a savage grin. After all, the new move that he had created through experimenting with fire was not exactly very healthy for the environment. He didn't want to use Ascalon here, after all it didn't feel right using the power from another faction. Dragons were the epitome of power. They never used another's power unless absolutely nescessary.

[Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!]

[Explode!]

This move was cool, although he would never admit out loud. As he ignited his fists, he dashed towards the still dazed Vali, launching her up into the air. [You're good. Do it.] Ddraig responded as he flew up above her, Raising his palm, he took careful aim, the space between the middle and index finger seemingly covered by Vali who was still struggling to deal with the excess energy, her wings slowing her fall.

A ball of flames began to slowly form on his palm, and began to expand quickly, the surrounding air thinning as he did so. Within a few precarious seconds, it was easily as tall as himself, and he slammed his entire hand down without hesitation, sending the entire ball onto his rival. "Chaos Descend!"

[Divide!Divi-] That was the last thing he heard before the size of the sphere was reduced to half and impacted Vali squarely on her torso and exploded in fiery shower of red embers. The question was, had the attack been divided to the point where it did almost no damage to her?

[I highly doubt so. The nature of my flames are so chaotic, to the point where Alboin wasn't able to properly divide them when I first used it due to its chaotic nature. But there's always a price for using my flames, even if it's not my strongest flame attack.]

"What is it?" Issei wasn't mentally prepeared, but he still had to know. He needed to know his limitations.

[We'll talk about this some other time. She's still not down yet.]

For the first time since they fought, her face of confidence had disappeared, replaced by one of confusion. The black patches on her armour and missing parts of the gauntlets which revealed more burns proved that she had suffered quite heavily from such an attack.

[DDRAIG! YOU DARE SHOW YOUR HOST HOW TO USE YOUR CHAOTIC FLAMES? YOU DO NOT REALISE WHAT YOU HAVE DONE?] The while jewel on a part of Vali's armour glowed vividly, as if trying to express its anger if the loud roar that resonated in the air wasn't enough.

"He didn't. Nidhogg was the one to do so."

[Ha! That foolish dragon, he has no idea what he has unleashed!] If Alboin had a physical body, there would no doubt be a sneer on his face.

"He only taught me to harness the power of Ddraig's element." He tried to protest, but the following words died down when Alboin cut him off again.

[And condemmed you to a fate worse than death at the same time! Look behind you! Look at the faction leaders and tell me what you see!]

Choosing to heed Alboin's words out of both surprise and shock, he turned, only to see the one thing that he didn't expect on their faces. It was all written on their faces, all at the same time. Fear on their faces, even on the laidback Azazel and the kind Gabriel that had gifted him the Ascalon. Even Sirzechs, who acted like a brother to him when he slept over that night. Fear of him, that was what it was.

"W-why?"

[Those who use my flames, they sooner or later turn insane without even triggering Juggernaut Drive. Their personality becomes chaotic, to the point where the last time it happened, the three factions had to come together to seal him in a place known to only the leaders of the three factions until the very day he finally died of old age. He was only a human, yet he slayed one of the Seraphs, two Cadres and another four Ultimate Class Devils before he was finally sealed. Not to mention the casualties incurred from the lesser races as well. All done while still being human. You are a half devil, and they may not be able to afford the wait. I'm sorry for not telling you this earlier, Issei.]

[Now you know, host of Ddraig! What will you do with this knowledge?] The haugthy voice of Alboin rung through the air, snapping him out of his shock. He knew that he only had mere seconds to decide his next course of action, before Vali took on another offensive maneuveur or the faction leaders began to take any form of action against him.

 _Apartment_

Akira's POV

"I know that Igor said that we are wildcards and are able to do the impossible, but don't you think that taming the second most powerful being of the world with nothing but curry and coffee is kind of broken?" Akira couldn't help but comment, looking at Yu who was slowly sipping his coffee.

"Well, you can check that off your bucket list at the very least now. And also you make really good coffee."

"Seriously, now is not the time, Yu. I'm going to have a big ass target painted on my back if word of this gets out. I already threatened the current Lucifer and we know how the devils would react if they heard of both matters." But deep down, he knew that now was no time to be panicking. He knew that Yu knew that as well, which explained his fellow wildcard's calm composure. Sighing, he joined Yu across the couch, while watching Ophis slowly eat the steaming hot curry.

"Well, it makes more sense if you look at it from a political point of view. So what do we do?"

"If she just wants to get her home back... why not try to replicate it?"

"You do realise that it will only a temporary situation at best, right?" Yu swiftly responded, all while nodding his head.

"Well, do you have any other ideas? Because I'm sure that Great Red wouldn't give up that place easily."

"True. Any idea what the Dimensional Gap's like?"

"I, just want my slience back. That, is all I seek." He turned to his side, already fully expecting a little gothic girl to be sitting there, holding the nth plate of curry that he had kept in stock meant for consumption over several days.

However, what he certainly was not expecting was a buxom teenager, with curves that easily rivalled Rias and Akeno, but somehow managing to surpass those two in terms of beauty. Was it because of the height that matched him, or was it simply because she looked too innocent like that? He couldn't really decide. "Ophis, why are you like this?"

"I, decided that the curry needed a more, mature tastebud."

"Well, that's... an issue we're going to have to address later." Even Yu could not helped but be stumped by the transformation. It seemed that there were things that existed that could still stump his senior.

 **"Last time, she was said to have appeared as an old man. By the All Father's beard, what is with dragons and their thought processes?"**

"I don't really think that matters now, Thor. What really matters now is that we need to make a soundproof room for her." He paused for a second, trying to figure out what was the sinking feeling that he had with his stomach. "And then check on Issei. It feels like he's either done something stupid to himself again or he's really gotten into some deep shit."

 **A/N: Yeah, this chapter is shorter than usual. Sorry for this long ass update, but school has started for me and it hasn't been easy to try and juggle between thinking up of ideas for this fanfic and managing schoolwork.**

 **For those who don't know, I have uploaded my take on a Persona x Campione fanfic. It's called "Not Just Anyone" and currently kind of a work in progress thing with 1k words. I will be updating that fanfic next so do keep a lookout for that!**

 **Hoped you guys enjoyed this chapter and leave a review if you guys think that there's room for improvement or any requests that you want! Some requests will be considered. Absurd requests are obviously not allowed and dun flame. I am only a amateur at this shit.**

 **On that note, peace out mofos!**

 **322n(Ya friendly asian)**

 _ **Songs: (Some glitch hop and dope tracks by stonebank)**_

 **What's Going Down - Stonebank**

 **What are you waiting for - Stonebank**

 **Chokehold - Stonebank ft Concept**

 **Body Moving - Stonebank ft Whizzkid**

 **Cold Skin - Seven Lions Echos (Stonebank Remix)**


	25. Short Update 2

Hi guys, 322n here.

So this is not a chapter, but more of an update. I won't be able to update this story until early July at the very least, and that's for two reasons.

The first reason is because I have exams coming up, and they will last until early July, so I won't be able to update. I'm still a student, so obviously my studies take priority over my hobby unfortunately. The other reason is because of the fact that I deleted my work for Chapter 24, which I did on purpose. Now, many of u may be asking why, but it's because I read through the entire chapter that I did previously and so I deleted it. I'm currently rewriting the chapter and am about one-fifth of the way through, but exams will probably delay my updating schedule up to early to mid July. So I'm really sorry that you guys have to wait for the next chapter, and I'm sorry for the disappointment.

One thing that I would like to speak about is that I have put up a poll on my profile page(I think?). Since a couple of chapters back, I have received some reviews and PMs about which pairing I should do, and I've decided to let you all decide. I personally have a preference towards Kuroka, but I don't mind writing anything. So if you wanna see your pairing/harem come true, go ahead and vote.

Anyway, I'm really sorry for the disappointment and I hope that you guys can wait till July before I update this story.

Peace out, Mofos  
322n


	26. Chapter 24

**Responding to reviews 101**

 **Thean Bitter Crow and hugp1x: Can't say that I'm surprised by your two reviews. Honestly, I'm not very good at writing, and yes, I'm well aware that my first couple chapters are kind of bad. After all, this story was only started on a whim and only after the first couple chapters then I began to take this fanfic writing business more seriously. I would like to rewrite the first few chapters of the story, but it would also mean ditching my entire story and doing a rewrite of the entite story, which I basically do not have the time for as a student in Singapore.** **I hope this answers w** **hy my first few chapters are pretty bad and why I am not doing anything about those**

 **XInsanityXGuiltechXShadowwindX:**

 **8=D(If u know what I mean. Also apparently you can't do more than one equal sign in a row.)**

 **TheBeatles211: It all depends on the vote...**

 **ENDDRAGON369: I am planning to write more on that after Conference Arc** , **if that helps.**

 **Eric Blaine: Honestly, I have not planned that far yet so I'll see how the story goes first.**

 **tphod: Don't tempt me. That's all that I can really say.**

 **Back to the story!**

Chapter 24: The truth of the Dragons

 _Time frames and locations_

 **Persona Skills and Speech**

[Dragon Speech/Boosted Gear Skills]

POVs

 _Sunday Night, Akira's Apartment_

Ophis' POV

Despite her appearance beforehand, Ophis did not have the mentality of a child. Her true age had been lost within the passages of time, and it had only further enchanced her mind, nothing more. Age did not dull her sharp mind, but instead further tempered it. Yet, the only being who could call himself wiser than Infinity itself was Kohryu. That dragon had managed to earn her respect, and she had enjoyed conversing with him every so often. Even if she would not admit that out loud.

The reason why she had chosen to seek out this Kurusu Akira was the fact that this human seemed to remind him of someone familiar, yet she couldn't place her finger on who it was. Also, she had to get out of that organisation somehow. Despite the fact that she had taken over the organisation to defeat Great Red, she knew that the factions which joined the Khaos Brigade had motives of their own. And the one that stood out the most was the Hero Faction.

They were a group of humans which either held Sacred Gears or were descended from heroes. What made her wary was the fact that she knew that Cao Cao had his own motives, and somehow one of them involved her. Leaving a snake to spy on each faction had certainly proved to be useful, and she had chosen this time to exit the organisation.

With the conference happening and the both the Vali Team and the Old Satan Faction joining the attack, there was no better time to do so, not when the Hero Faction had tried to recruit Kurusu Akira and Narukami Yu to only end up in failure. They would be licking their wounds, and wouldn't be able to find out the fact that Ophis had deserted the Khaos Brigade until it was too late.

She let herself smirk in satisfaction at their torment slightly, as she slowly ate the curry. The Hero Faction prided themselves on being the strongest humans, yet they were beaten by two of their kind who could wield the power of Gods, heck even command them like it was nothing. She was sure that Cao Cao had been humiliated by the defeat, especially when Kurusu Akira had shot him just before they were able to get out. 6 of them, especially with one armed with the Strongest Longinus, were no match against two humans. It was laughable, even for her.

Yes, she could show emotions despite being born from "nothingness". The denizens of the world had forgot a crucial factor, and that was the fact that "nothingness" could be influenced by "something" to become "something". That "something" happened to be emotions that seemed to blossom forth from being near Great Red and humans whenever she chose to visit the human world, leaving her to struggle with the newfound feelings and emotions for a bit until she found a way to manage them. And that was to hide the emotions under a mask of "nothingness".

Come to think of it, the rifle that he wielded with such precision was familiar to her, but the memory that she needed was just out of reach. She sighed, such was one of the many troubles that she faced with her age. If only she still had the Dimensional Gap to herself...

As she finished her second plate of curry, she glanced at the slightly ajar door. Had she been so lost in her thoughts that she'd failed to notice the absence of her host? No matter, there was still more curry waiting to be devoured by her and it wasn't going to enter her stomach by itself. Her host was probably busy at this point.

"Meow?" Ophis glanced down, looking at the cat that had just pawed her leg. Pausing for a second, she tried to figure out what this cat wanted. This, was very interesting. She never had a pet to care for, as they called it in mortal terms. Perhaps she could at least return the favour to her host by caring for his cat. "What, to do?"

Susanoo's POV

When he found that his father and Akira were heading towards the conference, he decided that it was time to finally meet his sister. She had never requested for his presence after all, especially for important meetings, but he always chose to show up just to annoy her.

The incident with the rice fields had indeed soured their relationship, but Amateratsu was one of the rare exceptions of Gods when it came to holding a grudge. She'd mostly forgiven him, but as the mortal saying went, Forgive but never forget. He hadn't seen the scorching wrath of the Sun ever since that day, and he certainly didn't want to see it again. Many of the races would typically say that water beats fire, but they forget that fire, if hot enough under the right circumstances, can evaporate water. And fire was the element that represented wrath, passion, but most importantly, rage.

Sighing, he let himself break down into water molecules, knowing that he was going to get an earful from his sister. The Conference had started hours earlier, and he was going there now just for the sake of annoying her.

 _Kuoh Academy_

When Susanoo reformed at Kuoh Academy, he made sure to manifest a small distance away from Amateratsu, to make sure that he didn't lose a few water molecule. The last time it happened, it had been pretty unpleasant and he had to wait several months just to be able to use this convenient ability once more. "Sister." He greeted.

"I see that your habit of making unrequested appearances is still as bad as ever." Her snide reply made him smile a bit.

"I've found Father." With that single declaration, she moved so swiftly that even he had trouble keeping up her movements until she had reached the space directly in front of him.

"Where is he?"

"Never thought you'll be so anxious to find him." She huffed and turned back to watch the battle, knowing that Susanoo wouldn't give her the answer so easily.

"I would be searching for him as well if I didn't have to meditate this conference." She scowled, evidently not happy at having to do so.

"Truth is, I found him a couple of days after the Kokabiel fiasco." That drew Amateratsu's attention, making her spin around to face Susanoo once again.

"And you didn't think it important to tell us during the meeting?"

"Well, we both know that if you descended to Kuoh without any official reason, the devils would be worried. They're one of the more paranoid races after all. That's why he asked me to keep it from you. I on the other hand can easily travel anywhere so I was more suitable to keep tabs on him. Neither you or Tsukuyomi are good at really containing yourselves." Susanoo smirked, he had actually manage to outwit his sister in a battle of words for once. "But there's something you should know about Father." His face turned serious for once, before Amateratsu interrupted him.

"What is it?"

"He's Father, but not Father at the same time."

"What do you mean?" She shared the same expression as him when he first heard Father talk about this topic.

"I never listened to his explanation. I got lost after the part about a vow or something." He watched Amateratsu turn around once more, to observe the battle between the Vanishing Dragon and the Red Dragon Emperor all while muttering something under her breath which he couldn't really catch.

"So that's the Red Dragon Emperor and the Vanishing Dragon, huh? Let's see how they fight." His grin returned in full force as he watched savage blows being exchanged. Was he forgetting something? Nevermind, there was something more engaging in front of him now and he wasn't going to miss it. Ehh, his father and his friend would probably be able to find a way through the barrier somehow.

Akira's POV

"Damm. They got some kind of barrier up. And Paradise Lost ain't gonna cut it this time." If he had to guess, the barrier was being held by several powerful figures from the inside, meaning that only someone from the inside could get in. Paradise Lost had been deflected off the barrier when he tried to slash at it, leaving him with no real options.

"Any ideas?" Yu asked him, which he shook his head in the negative at. He didn't have a single idea on how to break it since Paradise Lost already failed.

"It'll take some serious firepower to break through, but I don't think that the people inside will appreciate it." On the outside, Kuoh Academy looked pretty normal, which is to say not having heavily armed guards patrolling the premises for such a high profile event. But inside was probably a different story, and judging by how the space around some parts of the academy seemed to twist to reveal unfamiliar teleportation circles for no more than mere seconds every so often, something was definitely wrong.

"There's no way to contact them?"

"Yeah. Rias' and Issei's phones are uncontactable. Azazel and Sirzechs never left me any means of contact." Akira clicked his tongue. Getting through the barrier was already hard, and the fighting part hadn't even started yet.

"Huh. We might have to really brute force through this."

"Yeah." While he was more specialised in stealth, Yu's skills were more focused on analysing and logical planning, leading him to agree with his fellow Wildcard. And no, his skills in stealth unfortunately did not involve barrier penetration.

"Wait."

"Yes?"

"What if we used Senjutsu? If we use it subtly enough, we should be able to get through. Ongyo-Ki!" Smashing a Hermit tarot card, The towering black giant appeared, placing a gloved hand on an invisible surface, assessing the barrier that kept them apart from their objective. A small frown appeared the Oni's face, which left Akira with a slightly bitter taste in his mouth.

 **"We would need another Senjutsu user. Someone whose skill level is above Kin-Ki's. This barrier's too powerful.** **Without another Senjutsu user to mask the absence of part of the barrier for a bit, we might have a very warm welcome after I create a hole**. **Perhaps...** " Damm, that meant that they were out of options. Both him and Yu had come to an agreement to never summon the same Persona at any given time, for they did not want to find out the consequences of their respective Sea of Souls clashing together. The stress of maintaining two Personae at once would probably be too much for them to handle, given the amount of time that Ongyo-Ki would need to create and repair the barrier without anyone noticing.

Looking around, Akira glanced at where Ongyo-Ki had his gaze for a second, only for him to freeze as Ongyo-Ki turned his head back. A black cat, with familiar hazel-gold eyes was staring at them curiously from its vantage point of a low wall. Walking down the street, Akira chose to approach it, trying to sort out his thoughts.

"What are you doing, Akira?" Reaching his hand out, he scratched the back of the cat's ears.

Choosing to stay silent, Yu observed Akira's actions.

"Nya..." The cat meowed in contentment, as Akira moved his hand to pet the head of the cat. The soft and enticing fur of the cat was inviting him to simply sit there and continue playing with it, but unfortunately he had bigger fish to fry. "Say, you'll help us right, Kuroka?" He continued to pet the cat, as if he didn't say anything despite the cat's slight flinch. However, the small display of shock from the cat already gave her away, along with the sound that she made earlier. He'd only heard one person make that sound and it sure as hell hadn't been anyone else.

He retracted his hand, just as Kuroka transformed to reveal herself in the familiar black kimino that she had worn last time as well. "How did you find out, nya?"

"I figured that you still would be observing me, even if I scared you off under the orders of the Ophis. And if your skills are that good to make Ongyo-Ki ignore you when he's not serious, it means you should be able to help us out." Akira repiled, slowly walking back to Yu and Ongyo-Ki as Kuroka followed behind him curiously.

"Wait, that's the real Ongyo-Ki? I thought he disappeared, nya."

 **"I'm here, aren't I? And I believe this is not our first encounter."** Ongyo-Ki chuckled, as the Nekoshou could not help but continue gazing at one of the legends of their kind. **"Unfortunately, we do not have enough time to talk about such trifling matters. There's a disturbance in nature beyond the barrier, and we need to get these two in."**

"So, will you help us, Kuroka?" Her attention had focused back onto Akira, but she seemed to be unable to steal another glance at Ongyo-Ki.

"Why should I?" Unfortunately for him, Kuroka seemed to be playing hard to get. Well, her assistance at the very least.

" **I can explain my presence later, if that is what you want. And Lucifer's as well."** Akira opened his mouth for a second, before closing it. It took him a second to realise it, but he understood what Ongyo-Ki wanted to do. That was very smart of Ongyo-Ki, to use a cat's curiousity against Kuroka.

"We have a deal then, nya." As she walked forth, Akira couldn't help but feel some sort of tredipation. She was after all, powerful in her own right and had Ongyo-Ki not subdued her the first time they met, he had a feeling that he would have a large target painted behind his back with every faction of the Khaos Brigade after him.

"Thanks, Kuroka."

"Remember, I want my answers, nya." Kuroka responded, as she began to follow Ongyo-Ki's instructions.

 **"Word of advice, Nekoshou. The saying, 'Curiousity kills the Cat' exists for a reason. I was there when the saying was first uttered after all."** Ongyo-Ki spoke up. Choosing to let Ongyo-Ki do the talking, he and Yu silently waited as the two Senjutsu users did their job.

"What do you mean, nya?" Kuroka's expression of concentration did not waver, but the tone of confusion displayed her actual emotion right now,

 **"These two, are bearers of a secret, one that could threaten the balance of the world. And you are attempting to dig it up. Some secrets are better off buried."** With that last warning, Ongyo-Ki returned to carving a hole in the barrier with a fist covered in gold energy as Kuroka continued to conceal their presence. **"There, get in.** "

"Is that Touki?"

" **Yes. I am a Master of Senjutsu after all. Touki is nothing more than molding your very own life force around your fist to reinforce it. It is also the most efficient way to open up a barrier if you know where to strike. If you are not coming with us, Kuroka, I suggest that you leave now as I repair the barrier."**

"Wait! You mean that the answer I seek is their secret?"

"Unfortunately, yes. I'll see you soon, Kuroka." This time, Akira answered as the barrier began to close up. With one final wave, the barrier closed up, leaving the two wildcards inside the barrier.

"Hey, isn't that your friend battling?" Yu pointed at the sky, showing two figures that were fighting each other with nothing but fists. One figure was covered in a red suit of armour, while the other was in white. The white had a blue pair of wings, which made Akira sigh.

"Issei and Vali. I thought this was meant to be a peace conference." Akira muttered, before noticing the signs of other battles taking place while the faction leaders were staring out of from a partially ruined meeting room.

 **"Well, it appears that I am no longer needed then."**

"Thanks, Ongyo-Ki." Yu responded as Ongyo-Ki vanished in a flash of blue flames. "I believe that a proper entrance is in order. Shall we?"

"Let's." With a grin, Akira engulfed himself in a flash of blue flames just as Yu's hand engulfed itself in the signature blue flames to summon the Ame-No-Nuboko. Even if he didn't want to admit it, Akira had actually missed making flashy entrances just to see the shock on the face of their enemies.

Strange how neither of them ever thought of the fact that the flame was actually a precise shade of blue, a shade of Velvet Blue to be precise.

 _Velvet Room_

"Ah, it seems that the cards are inaccurate once more. It has been the second time since this happened."

"They say that the Arcana is by the means which all is revealed, but it seems that your dear wildcard seems to have a habit of breaking the rules of logic, Sister."

"I never expected anything less than that, after all. Yours has done the same before too, Sister."

"Fair enough. Now, how will they go about this? After all, the dragon has sat idle for too long." Silently, she began to move her lips as the Conpendium flipped to a page to reveal a crimson Red Gauntlet, the emerald on it glinting sinisterly.

 _Kuoh Academy_

Issei's POV

Flinching slightly, he sneaked a glance at an area near the school fence. "Now's not the time to be distracted, don't you think?"

"I suppose so." A slight crooked smile emerged, although it was not visible, being covered by the helm of his Balance Breaker armour.

[Why are you smiling?]

"You'll see soon enough, Ddraig, Plus, can't you read my thoughts?" A small glimmer of hope began to shine through the darkness that was his despair.

[Hope, huh? I've forgotten how powerful hope is, to be honest. I suppose that I've spent too much time stuck in this cage, to forgot that hope even exists at all.] To hear Ddraig reminiscing like an ancient being was weird, but he supposed that his partner had the right to do so, given his age. To be honest, he sounded so much older when Ddraig spoke like that. [Sorry, I must be beginning to sound like Kohryu with his whimsical thoughts.]

"I know that I've asked this before, but what was Kohryu like?" Issei asked, as he tried to keep up with Vali for just a few more minutes. If he could hold out just a bit longer...

[As I've said before, Kohryu was wise, so wise that no one could ever hope to match him in that aspect. Not even Infinity itself. His own muttering itself was already a source of advice to anyone who came to find him for advice. Even Infinity respected him for that. But there was one thing that he unofficially represented above all else. Something that we all Dragons respected him for.]

"What is it?"

[To us dragons, he was a Beacon of Hope. With his advice, he would guide those lost through the darkness, no matter what. The title of Hope had never been claimed by any Dragon, and we would have gladly given it to him if he so wished for it. There was only one exception, for he represented the opposite of Hope. Even though there are Dragons that have been labelled as "Evil Dragons", they are truly not evil. Except for one.]

"Despair." Issei could not help but mutter as he managed to punch Vali in the shoulder, giving him a precious opening that he could't afford to waste. [Boost!] With another one, he kicked Vali away with the enhanced strength, giving him the much needed space.

[Correct. Azi Dahaka, the Dragon who was the only one to shun Kohryu away. For every thing that exists, there must be an opposite one, Such is what keeps the Balance of the Universe in place. Such is why Yin and Yang exist. For every good that exists, evil must exist as well. The stronger the light, the darker the shadow.] The words from Ddraig struck a chord within him, as he tried asking the question that had been buried in the depths of his mind for a long time. Why was he even fighting a battle that was not his in the first place?

"Is that why you and Alboin keep fighting through your hosts? Because the two of you fight to keep a balance?"

[I never thought that you would be smart enough to figure it out. We do represent two different things. We are polar opposites after all. Most of my hosts never think about it. All they do is fight, sleep and get laid.] He heard the loud laugh of Ddraig ringing within his ears, distracting him from Vali for a second. However, it seemed that Vali had recovered and was content to let him finish his conversation with Ddraig.

"So what do the two of you represent?"

[Think about it, Issei. You should be smart enough to figure it out yourself.]

"I.. I don't know. I will have to think about it."

[So be it. Come and find me when you have the answer. By the way, the Boosted Gear should be evolving soon.] With that, Ddraig retreated back into the depths of the Boosted Gear once more, leaving Issei to deal with the menance that was Vali.

"So, finished talking with Ddraig?"

"Yeah. Let's do this, Vali Lucifer."

"Very well, Hyoudou Issei. Let's end this now, shall we? If anything, you were a strong opponent. A pity, since you could have been stronger."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't you think that fate is cruel? Me, a descendant of the original Lucifer himself. You, nothing more than the son of an office worker. Think about it, Issei. If you had a better lineage, perhaps you could have something more."

"My lineage doesn't matter, Vali. I will not be limited by it."

"Are you sure? You're just a nobody reincarnated devil, Issei. Perhaps I should give you a motive for fighting me. Maybe I should kill your family. That will at least give you some motivation."

Words couldn't describe the rage that Issei felt at that point of time. A single image flashed through his mind. Vali standing in front of him, his parents, lying lifelessly on the floor of his home. That one image sent his vision scrambling into a crimson red, as he now stared hatefully at Vali Lucifer. "You don't fucking mess with my parents!"

In the conference room, a certain figure smirked as he obeserved the fight. "That's right, Issei. Detest the enemy before you. Change that animosty into power and unleash it before you."

[He's about to do something, Vali! Stop him!] The loud cry from the Vanishing Dragon was more than enough to send her into action, as Vali flew forward in a fultile attempt to do so as she only got knocked back by a strong wave of power. "Tch! I can't get close enough to Divide him!" [Half Dimension!]

The first thing that Issei noticed through his calm rage, was the fact that the tree beside him was starting to get shorter and smaller. Within a second, what had been a healthy old tree was an old tree that was now halved his size. [Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!] If she was able to Divide without touching him, it only meant that Issei had to redouble his strength back afterwards.

[Issei. Let's do this. It's been far too long since I got to exercise.]

"Yeah. Let's go, Ddraig." Words appeared in his mind, as if someone was directly telling them through their minds. He smiled once more. Was this the next evolution of the Boosted Gear? The prospects of it honestly terrified him, as he silently ran through the different words given to him. Yeah, this could work.

[I, Ddraig, the Dragon of Domination.]

"I, Hyoudou Issei, wielder of the Boosted Gear."

[I swear upon my titles as the Red Dragon Emperor, and the Dragon of Domination]

"I swear upon my life, and as the Host of Ddraig"

[I am him]

"And he is me."

["This we swear upon us."]

["I am thou, and thou art I."]

Akira's POV

"Of all things, I certainly wasn't expecting that. Then again, Igor has always been one to surprise us."

He had felt the brief surge of power, as the bond of him and Issei climbed to even greater heights. Another Persona greeted him in the depths of his mind, as he heard the hiss of a snake. And not just any snake. A snake who was coiled and poised, and ready to strike with its element to those that would oppose him.

"Always an enigma, as always. Sacred Gears also react to emotions, so I guess that's what made it possible. Come on, we do have a few important figures to greet after all." Akira responded, casually slashing another foolish devil that had tried to attack him out of nowhere.

 **A/N: As promised, here's your chapter by early July.**

 **I'm gonna answer some questions about this chapter that you might have right now first.**

 **Why am I potraying Ophis like that?**

 **See, thing is this is more of an experimental fanfic to me to see what I can get away with. And if u want to talk about my first couple chapters, pls read my first review response at the top. Also, if you think logically about it, there's no way that Ophis doesn't visit the Human World throughout her entire life so far. And concepts are actually a pretty tricky thing to work with, but since Ophis represents nothingness, I thought that it could be something. Idk if you guys undrrstand my thoughts, but yeah.**

 **Why is the stuff with Issei happening?**

 **Cos its part of the plot, and its also something that I thought up off.**

 **No Shinto?**

 **Sorry, this one's gonna have to wait longer.**

 **Why is Kohryu being potrayed like that?**

 **Wisdom is another thing that is complicated, to be honest. Wisdom is accumulated through experience and is more about being street smart rather than book smart.** **Also, Kohryu represents the element Earth. Earth acts as a base for other things to grow and flourish, so I decided to show him like that.**

 **Ok, that should cover it for now. I got bigger fish to fry, aka the relationship poll. So far, this is how it looks like:**

1st place: Kuroka with 10 votes

2nd place:Fuck the four options, Harems ftw with 9 votes

3rd place: Persona 5 Girl with 8 votes

4th place: Others lul with 3 votes

5th: Akeno with 2 votes

 **Yes, the poll is still open. If you guys want some pairing/harem to come true, then I suggest you guys vote now. Imma close the poll one week from the time that this chapter is posted, so do vote fast!**

 **Last thing to note is that you might have noticed a title change. I'm naming this book 1 because I do have a lot of ideas that I want to expand on, but not enough time. So some ideas will be shelved for next book and I doubt that next book will come that fast. Of course, I'll be updating this book but only up to the part where Asia got kidnapped. Like I said, I have idess but not time. so I do hope that you guys understand this.**

 **Hoped you guys enjoyed this chapter and leave a review if you guys think that there's room for improvement or any requests that you want! Some requests will be considered. Feel free to PM me if you want. Absurd requests are obviously not allowed and dun flame. I am only a amateur at this shit.**

 **On that note, peace out mofos!**

 **322n(Ya friendly asian)**

 **Songs:**

 **DMC 5 OST: Devil Trigger -** **Casey Hudson ft Ali Edwards**

 **Old Friends - Half an Orange ft Blond Maze**

 **Take Me Down - KUURO ft Bianca**

 **The Monster - Eminem ft Rihanna**

 **Detroit Vs.** **Everybody - Eminem, Royce da 5'9", Big Sean, Danny Brown, Dej Loaf, Trick Trick**


	27. Short Update 3(3rd time

Hi guys, 322n here.

So this is not a chapter, but more of an update(again). I won't be able to update this story until early September at the very least, and that's for two reasons(again). Actually, I don't even know when I'll be able to update again.

The first reason is because I have my final exams coming up, and they will last until end August, so I won't be able to update. I'm still a student, so obviously my studies take priority over my hobby unfortunately. The other reason is because I injured both of my hands during a fall and suffice to say, I won't be able to continue writing chapters until a week later at the very least. Yes, my hands hurt while writing this update.

One thing that I would like to speak about is that I have put up a poll on my profile page again, cos the harem option won with over 50% of the votes. So to those that have been spamming harem/HAREM/haremmmmmmmmm/whatever is related to that in the reviews: Congrats, the harem option won the poll by a landslide. Nuff said. Got bigger fish to fry. But before that, special shoutout to ARSLOTHES who has been requesting for a harem ever since chapter 8 or somewhere along there. Dont really remember when he started requesting for it. (He's also probably one of the reasons why I set up the poll.) Congrats dude.

Anyway, I set up another poll, so that you all can choose whoever you wanna throw into the harem. (I'm giving 4 votes, but only top 3 will be selected.) If your girl is not in there, then either I forgot to add her in or I choose not to. Rias is off limits btw.

Anyway, I'm really sorry for the disappointment and I hope that you guys can wait till whenever I can before I update this story.

Peace out, Mofos  
322n


	28. Chapter 25

**27/8, 11.28pm. Minor Edit: Added in responses to reviews that I missed out**

 **28/8, 10.18am. Minor Edit: Removed an response to a review**

 **Responding** **to Reviews 101**

 **To those that have been spamming harem/HAREM/haremmmmmmmmm/whatever is related to that in the reviews/those simply have not read my update and PMed me directly(do read the updates in future cos it always concerns my current status of writung and other important stuff): Congrats, the harem option won the poll by a landslide. Nuff said. Got bigger fish to fry. But before that, special shoutout to ARSLOTHES who has been requesting for a harem ever since chapter 8 or somewhere along there. Dont really remember when he started requesting for it. (He's also probably one of the reasons why I set up the poll.) Congrats dude.**

 **Mile De: You're welcome, I guess?**

 **Guest: Ask and you shall receive.**

 **Ryoji Mochizuki: To be honest, I don't really know who or what is ADAD, but I'm glad you like the fanfic. It's been a pretty fun experience writing this so far, with many different ideas running around in my mind constantly.**

 **DreamsofCalamity: Thanks for thinking so :)**

 **Seithr-Kairy: Let me explain the reasoning behind why I chose to do that stuff with Issei. First of all, the part about free will. Sure, he wasn't really given a choice to stay human or become a devil, but he still goes along with being a devil instead of becoming a stray or some other shit. Secondly, it necessarily isn't a true Persona because of the fact that he still chose to stay as a devil rather than be a stray but he still has to bow down to Rias. Another thing to note is that Ddraig is a fragment of his former self because of the fact that his physical body was slain. The Boosted Gear acts as the vessel in this case rather than the soul itself. Thirdly, this does not make him overpowered. I REPEAT, THIS DOESN'T MAKE HIM OP. I do have plans for that shit. I would compare it to a exponential graph, to be honest. The power output is decent at first, but after a while, it starts to stagnate and that is the reason why I decided to add it in. Lastly, it is not necessarily a fusion either. Hopefully this explains my reasoning.**

 **Leafeon12: Please read above review response in response to the first part of your review. As for the Yu and Akira appearance, just sit back and read man.** **You might be disappointed, cos I was having somewhat of a writer's block when I weote this.**

 **victorsan12345: If you read my author's note from the last actual story chapter, it's one of those ideas that I have shelved for next book(s).**

 **Gamelover41592: I just do this as a hobby, glad you like it man.**

 **Midnight49: DMC was pretty much my childhood, so yeah. To respond to your second part of your review, it will be further explained during this chapter**.

Chapter 25:

 _Time frames and locations_

 **Persona Skills and Speech**

[Dragon Speech/Boosted Gear Skills]

POVs

 _Sunday Night, Kuoh Academy_

Ophis' POV

Her eyes shot open for a second, before settling down to their usual half lidded state. "This feeling, I remember it. Ddraig. So, you have returned to the material plane once more?"

Sirzechs' POV

"What the actual fuck?" That was the first time that Sirzechs himself had seen Azazel swear like that. Sure, the fallen angel had used vulgarities on occasion, but never had he put that much expression into a single one. Then again, he couldn't find a fault with that expression. For a second, his heart had skipped as he heard the first line, before realising the fact that it was the spirit of the Boosted Gear who had uttered that line instead of the host hinself.

"Any ideas what's going on, Azazel?"

"That shouldn't even be possible! He made the Boosted Gear such that there was no possible way of freedom! Not even a temporary possession should be possible!" Sirzechs' blood froze, as he heard those words. A temporary possession? If that meant what he was thinking, he might have... less than desirable problem that needed to be dealt with. Despite the wielder being his sister's Pawn, he knew that it was better to deal with the problem here and keep his Ria-tan alive rather than face the consequences later.

"We might have to deal with it personally." He finally announced his thoughts, focusing the attention of Serafall, Michael and Azazel onto him. He waited for the response, but the first response he heard wasn't something that he had expected either.

"Say, Sirzechs. Have you really forgotten our little talk?" He flinched slightly as the words hit him for a second, before turning around as fast as his body would allow him to. Evidently, Serafall, Grayfia, Azazel, Michael and Gabriel all had the same reeaction as him, as the six of them turned to face the lone Phantom Thief sitting calming on one of the chairs surrounding the table, a smirk adorning his face.

"Akira. What are you doing here? You said that you weren't coming." Immediately, Sirzechs managed to get those words out in a almost frighteningly calm manner, at least to himself.

"I figured that Issei needed a bit of help, so here I am. Although it seems that my advice worked out already."

"So you're the reason behind what's happening to the kid?" This time, it was Azazel who shot a question at Akira, and said Phantom Thief merely shook his head in return, although that smirk of his did not go away.

"No. If you can't predict or figure out how a Sacred Gear works, not even I could predict what was going to happen." Akira admitted, although Sirzechs had a feeling that he knew what was going on more than any of them did, even Azazel the Sacred Gear expert himself.

"Really? Then why exactly are you here? It's not just about Issei, is it?"

"My companion's having a little chat with a few people right now, so I thought I'll occupy your time for a bit."

"Why don't you figure it out yourself?" Akira taunted. Damm, he never knew that high school students could be this troublesome. It was almost worse than dealing with the Elders already, and it hadn't been more than a minute or two since he made his appearance known. Now, who exactly was his companion and who was he talking to? Also, where was Amaterasu?

Yu's POV

"Moment of truth, I suppose." Yu muttered, dematerialising the Ame no Nuboko as he slowly walked towards the two Gods in front of him. He and Akira and both split up, Akira going ahead to the conference room first and have a "little talk" with the faction leaders while he settled things with Amaterasu. Surprisingly, Amaterasu was standing next to Susanoo, despite their feud. Sighing, he walked forward, trying his best to keep his poker face.

"Nice of you to finally join us, Father." Susanoo drawled out, not bothering to look behind him as Yu slowly approached. He didn't bother reacting to that, since he had already predicted that the warrior God would detect him first. Meanwhile, Amaterasu flinched as if she had been hit by something.

"It's nice to see you again, Susanoo, Amaterasu." Yu responded, although this would his first time seeing Amaterasu technically speaking. Then again, he was also Izanagi-no-Okami at the same time, so it did make some sense at the same time.

As the Sun Goddess turned around faster than Yu thought possible, he took this opportunity to fully take in the appearance of Amaterasu. To be blunt, she was beautiful. No words could possibly hope to fully describe her divine beauty. Long flowing black hair cascaded down her back, reaching to her hips. Her piercing yellow eyes were full of shock, staring at him as he maintained eye contact with her. Her face went through a myriad of emotions, from shock, to confusion, to anger, and finally settling down on one that he wasn't really expecting; sadness. Yep, he had officially managed to make a Goddess sad just by having her look at him. He supposed that it was another thing that could be checked in his bucket list. **(A/N: I'm basing Amaterasu's look off Kaguya Hourisan from Touhou Project. Too lazy to describe her.)**

Her eyes watered slightly, as she slowly took a step forth. "Father?" The only other time that he had heard a voice this vulnerable was when Rise confessed to him. The idol had never sounded so vulnerable before, a stark contrast to her confident and flirty attitude. Here he was, hearing something like that for the second time in his life. Was he really that bad of a guy?

"How do I put this... I'm both Izanagi-no-Okami and not him at the same time." He figured that it was still better that he pointed this fact out before shit went down.

"Susanoo told me that already. But what matters now is that you're back, Father." Without warning, she barrelled straight into Yu with her arms instantly capturing him in a bear hug, almost causing him to lose his balance if not for the fact that Rise had done this to him many times already. "I'm not letting you go, ever again." Her voice was muffled through his clothes, but he still clearly heard it.

He looked up to look at Susanoo, only to find him shaking his head with a sly grin on his face. "Erm, Amaterasu? You can get off now." It was slowly getting uncomfortable and he did not wish to have his cause of death labelled as being hugged too tightly to death.

"No! I'm not letting go until you tell me why you disappeared and reappeared again." Her voice was muffled through his clothes, but he still heard her clearly. Ok, so Amaterasu was not only spoilt, but also stubborn. Sighing, he uttered the name of the one person that was behind his Journey in the first place.

"Izanami." The effect was immediate, as Susanoo immediately lost his grin and replaced it with a more serious face and Amaterasu's grip on him slackened considerably.

"You never told me about her, Father." Susanoo sounded betrayed, but he probably had the right to be. Meanwhile, Amaterasu had fully disjointed herself from Yu, allowing him to breathe easy once more.

"Izanami reappeared a few years back in Inaba and was responsible for the mysterious murders." He decided to be straight forward about it now, after all the specifics could always be discussed later. "It was either I stop her or she shroud the world in fog and kill all humans. As you can see, I chose the first option."

"That explains so much, yet so little as the same time. It sounds almost as if it was merely part of a larger and grander scheme." Yu refrained from grimacing. He had known that all along, but he simply didn't want to admit it. Susanoo had managed to hit a weak spot. Using his quick thinking, he quickly diverted their attention away from the subject.

"Perhaps, Susanoo. I doubt that we have enough time to discuss this here. Akira's currently talking with the faction leaders and something else is coming as well."

"So the full attacking force is not here yet?"

"Me and Akira think so. Something is coming."

"How big?" An explosion occurred, loud enough to leave a slight ringing in their ears as part of the school building they were in was blown away, leaving them exposed to the threat.

"How about that?" Yu answered, as he prepared himself for the being that was in front of them that threatened to strike again and summoned the Ame no Nuboko once more. The smoke covered most of the features of the attacker, only revealing a humanoid shape. Another devil? He sighed as he glared at the foe. Life simply didn't want to give him a break, no matter how much he fought. He was also definitely not salty about the fact that the reunion had been cut short, even if he technically wasn't the father of Amaterasu and Susanoo. Nope. Not salty at all, he reassured himself as he prepared to fight.

Akira's POV

"I suppose that's my cue to leave." Akira called out. The effects of the explosion that had rocked the school building was now starting to fade away, giving him the opportunity to look at the being that threatened them.

"Wait! Are you with the Khaos Brigade?" Akira merely scoffed at Sirzechs' stupid question. Honestly, if he were with the Khaos Brigade, he would have already taken the chance to attack them the moment he entered the room.

"Why would I join them?" He could almost hear the mental sigh that Sirzechs had, but he chose to ignore it. Sighing himself, Akira pulled out Paradise Lost from his trench coat and steeled himself for another type of enemy in the Supernatural that he had yet to meet.

"Kid, where did you get that weapon?" His movement towards the source of the disturbance was interrupted by Azazel, who had called out to him in a cautious manner.

"Why would I have to get a weapon that's already mine?" He turned back, looking at Azazel innocently, although he had the feeling that Azazel knew more than he chose to let on. He smirked at the Fallen Angel leader for a second, before turning back to go and find Yu. "Later."

"See ya. It was nice catching up with you." The Fallen Angel had left a deeper meaning behind the message that he had spoken, and Akira knew that he wasn't the one being spoken to, technically speaking.

"See ya."

 **"It seems that crafty Az has managed to figure it out, or at least part of it."** His Ultimate Persona's curiousity turned interest had now been peaked, as he made his way towatds the location where Yu was at. He could only hope that Issei would be able to handle his end on his own. Persona was a great power, but it was also a double edged sword. Rely on it too much and it could be your downfall. That had been what happened to him in Kamoshida's Palace, nearly costing them their lives had they not been near a safe room.

"Yeah, I wouldn't put it past him to figure it out first, Satanael. What are you going to do now?" He heard Satanael chuckle almost darkly in response, almost making him pause in his steps to wherever Yu was.

 **"What are you talking about? It's you who should be thinking about the next move after all. I am thou, after all."** The almost innocent response from Satanael had the desired effect and at that single moment in time, he disliked the fact that his Ultimate Persona was a Fallen Angel who had the wit and tongue to match him and come out top in a battle of words. It was also probably because of the fact that he had to deal with Satanael's unfinished business in his stead, which was something he didn't really want to do. Supernatural politics were harder than human ones.

"Fine, you win. Let's take out whoever's here before we speak more." Yet, his instincts screamed at him to move to his right side rather than continue forward, which he thankfully obeyed without hesitation and saved himself from a painful death of impalement.

"I'm afraid that your opponent is me, Satanael!" Without giving time to Akira to process what his new opponent had just said, another thrust was aimed at his chest this time. Paradise Lost was raised, just in time to parry the light that threatened to pierce his heart.

Creating space by throwing out a few bullets with the Tyrant Pistol, he quickly took in the appearance of his foe. He bit the insides of his mouth, as the first detail that stood out the most were the pitch black wings that signified her status as a former Seraph of Heaven. It alarmed him, he had not fought a twelve winged angel and did not want to fight them, having seen the might of Michael and other Seraph firsthand. "Who are you?" Whoever she was, knowing that Satanael dwelled within him was not knowledge he wanted to be spread around.

"You do not recognise an old nemesis? How long have you stayed in your self-imposed isolation to forget me?"

"Raziel, Keeper of Secrets and Angel of Mysteries." The words slipped from his mouth, having been provided by his Ultimate Persona who now sat back and watched. That explained quite a lot, the title itself providing the answer to his question. Although, he couldn't help but be partially worried about the slience that was almost defeaning in his mind afterwards.

"Good, at least you have some semblance of memory. That accursed knife, you still carry it?" Her voice had now dropped into such a low tone, it was almost a growl that she let out. If Akira had to guess, she had to have some sort of history with Paradise Lost and Satanael.

"I have no idea what history you might have with Paradise Lost." He admitted, with Satanael refusing to give him the answer he seeked.

Her expression morphed into one of full hatred, as she produced a wave of light spears at the ready behind her. "Your accursed knife, is the sole reason why I Fell! My life and purpose was dedicated to Him, yet you used it to sever my connection to Him! Do you know how much embarrassment and anger I felt, when He gazed upon my dark wings and banished me from the only sanctuary I had? Even though it wasn't my fault that I Fell?"

"Why did you join Khaos Brigade then? Someone like you would probably have no association with them."

"Perhaps at first, yes. But how could I resist, when they promised me revenge against you? You have no idea how long I've waited for this moment." She giggled sadistically, as she gestured towards Akira. The barrage of light spears behind her flew towards him, forcing him to take evasive maneuvers to prevent himself from being skewered like takoyaki.

"Ok, so weird fallen angel that has a vendetta against me or in this case Satanael is also a sadist. That's new." Most of the fallen angels that he had fought weren't like that but then again, he had only fought fallen angels that were mostly under the command of Kokabiel.

 **"Correction, she's a weird fallen angel with the strength of a seraph that has a vendetta."** Satanael chose to speak up with a quip this time. Way to rub the situation into his face. **"Then again, Raziel has always been a fanatic of sorts, even amongst the angels."**

"At least help if you're gonna talk so much." Akira couldn't help but grumble under his breath as he dodged another barrage of light spears. Damm, Raziel didn't even have to use her hands to make that wave aim at him unlike Kokabiel. So this was the might of a Seraph? To maniplulate light like it was nothing?

 **"The power of a Seraph is no joke, to be honest. Even facing one Seraph alone can mean defeat if you're not careful."** Way to point out the obvious. He was just a human after all, and he had tasted defeat already. And it was a feeling he hated, one that he detested so much that he swore to never lose again. But then again, the "loss" was to bait out Shido, so he couldn't complain. Lose the battle, but win the war.

Still, the obstacle that was Raziel laid before him, and she wasn't going to be taken down as easily as Kokabiel. Step 1 would be to buff himself. "Ongyo-Ki! **Heat Riser!"**

"That weird ability of yours again. To be able to summon a missing Youkai and bend it to your command. No matter, this mystery shall not evade from me any longer!" So... was another reason why she had wanted to fight him?

 **"Probably. Raziel's one to never let any sort of mysery or secret elude her. And let's just say that she's very good at doing so."** Ok, so the stakes were high once more. If he was defeated, not only would he feel that crushing feeling once more, but he wouldn't doubt that the fact Raziel would use any way to find out the way that Persona worked. **"The vow binds us as such. I am thou, thou art I. There is nothing neither of us can do about it. I'm geniunely sorry, Akira. But perhaps, I can deal with her myself. It's been a while since I got to stretch my legs after all."**

"There's another reason, isn't there?"

 **"I should have known that you would figure it out. Then again, you always have been rather perceptive, with or without the Third Eye.** Let's just say, she's unfinished business." Akira knew better than to poke into that, it wasn't a problem that he needed to deal with anyway. The less he knew, the better it was for his sanity, he mused as he let the foreign feeling of someone controlling his body wash over him again willingly.

"Huh, I **d** idn't e **xpe** ct this. **I st** ill retain **part** ial control?" So now, Satanael and himself were contained within the same body. That was weird. Then again, nothing ever made sense when it came to the power of Persona that he wielded.

"You think I'll let you do whatever you want?" Raziel had taken the time to surround him with light spears in every single direction possible, leaving him with no possible escape.

" **That's** the best you ca **n do?** **Maeigaon**!" As for how did his Persona even use that spell, he didn't really know. However, the effect of that spell was clear cut and for all to see. Pillars of darkness rose from the ground, consuming the light spears that had caged them in. Ok, so that solved the problem of them being caged in. Now, they had to defeat the somewhat insane fallen angel in front of them fast. He didn't want to drag out this fight any longer than he had to.

"This will be fun, Satanael. You have no idea how long I've waited for this!"

"Oh? Do mak **e this an e** njoyable **dan** ce for me, will ya?"

Yu's POV

Whoever this devil was, she was decent. She didn't waste the smokescreen generated by the explosion, and immediately began her offense forcing him to defend against the blasts of water that had enough speed and pressure to kill him if he wasn't careful. However, she wasn't good enough. Each swing of the Ame no Nuhoko cut through the jets of water like it was butter through a hot knife. After all, what was pressurized water compared to the Spear that had created the isles of Japan from the primordial sea?

"It's kind of rude to not introduce yourself first, you know?" He threw out a quip, hoping that she would take the bait. Meanwhile, Susanoo watched on calmly as Amaterasu was in a stance, ready to help her Father at any given time.

"So, the rumours were true. Izanagi has returned." The smokescreen finally dissipated.

"My name is Katrea Leviathan, and I am the original Heiress of the Leviathan. A pleasure to meet you, Izanagi." Yu smirked uncharacteristically, for she wouldn't be still saying that soon enough.

"A heir of the Leviathan? Don't make me laugh. You've done nothing but shoot water at me. That's more like the Sitri's domain. Leviathan was said to be able to manipulate any liquid at will. When he walked the battlefield, he would leave nothing but a bloody mess behind, and I mean it literally. You are nothing compared to the real deal." The words were not fueled by him, but by his Persona who seemed to be no longer content in watching but had chosen to take a more active role. The words that Yu spoke had the desired effect on the Heir of Leviathan. A wave of "strong" magical presence hit him, which he merely shrugged off. Was she even trying? He had fought Shadows stronger than this, and even Adachi had been a stronger opponent than this devil with Magatsu Izanagi. She couldn't do anything to him, even if she tried. "I'll say this once more. You. Are. Nothing."

His/Izanagi no Okami's taunt finally worked its full magic upon the Heiress as all logic within her had been temporary consumed by rage. "I'll show you!"

"How cliche." Was his deadpan response. He had seen those two words shouted, uttered and thrown around before by his opponents, but they had carried no weight. This time was no exception either. "I'll end this quickly."

 **A/N: Turns out that I recovered faster than expected, and since my schools has us doing our exams on our laptops, I managed to find time to finish up the chapter after finishing the paper. Still, I'm somewhat dissatisfied by this chapter due to not only its length but other factors as well, but my friend who wishes to stay anonymous says that its ok, so Imma trust him. Anyway, here's your early chapter of A Hidden World.**

 **Ok, so for the harem poll, so far here are the results(Note: Since Kuroka came in second in my previous poll, I'll put her into the harem.)**

 **1st Place: Makoto with 16 votes**

 **2nd Place: Ophis with 15 votes**

 **3rd Place: Futaba Yasaka tied at 12 votes**

 **4th Place: Ann Haru tied at 10 votes**

 **5th Place: Tiamat with 9 votes**

 **6th Place: Vali Gabriel tied at 8 votes**

 **7th Place: Akeno Rossweisse tied at 7 votes(lul)**

 **8th Place: Sona with 5 votes**

 **9th Place: Hifumi with 3 votes**

 **10th Place: Others with 2 votes**

 **11th Place: Tae with 1 vote**

 **Rip Tae. Anyway, I'm surprised at the number of ties that have taken place in the poll. Four different ones lul, although I'll take only top three. Please do keep that in mind. The poll is still up and I doubt I'll be closing it that soon, so feel free to go and vote for those who haven't done so.**

 **I still wanna try and finish up the Conference Arc asap, but unfortunately my schedule is kinda packed including a school overseas trip. I'm really sorry about the somewhat irregular update schedule and hope you guys can wait for next chapter. Next chapter I'll try to make it longer but for now, this is the best I can deliver.**

 **Songs:** Nostalgia Week #1: Why Rap aint like this anymore?

 **Diddy - Dirty Money - Coming Home ft Skylar Grey**

 **Fort Minor - Remember the Name**

 **Eminem - Lose Yourself**

 **Eminem - Stan ft Dido**

 **50 Cent - In Da Club**

 **50 Cent - My Life ft Adam Levine & Eminem**

 **Desciption: If you're wondering why the songs section now has a title, it's because after having this songs section in my chapters for so long, I've thought of letting you guys understand why I listen to the music that I listen to when I write the chapters. In this chapter, the title's Nostalgia Week #1: Why Rap aint like this anymore?. It's because of the fact that what you hear on today's radio is more mumble rap than anything or simply rappers that have generic flow. That being said, there are still good rappers out there, but I feel that the songs listed are what rap should be. Rap shouldn't be about drugs and bitches and hoes and sex alone(yes, I'm talking about mumble rap). Kids out there can find this kind of music easily. It should be conveying what you want to convey to the audience. I hope that you guys do listen to these songs and understand why I listen to this. I'm not saying that you should, but its always nice to listen to rap that isn't always about sex and drugs all the time. Also, rappers with generic flow such as Drake make rap kinda dull because of the fact that he simply doesn't have that unique flow that makes the likes of Royce da 5'9 and 50 Cent stand out. For example, Lose Yourself tells a tale of how Eminem struggled in his early life until he got noticed by Dr Dre, while Remember the Name wants to let people know how and why rappers push themselves to the limit to dish out the music that they do.**

 **Hoped you guys enjoyed this chapter and leave a review if you guys think that there's room for improvement or any requests that you want! Some requests will be considered. Feel free to PM me if you want. Absurd requests are obviously not allowed and dun flame. I am only a amateur at this shit. Also, do tell me if I should continue the songs title description. :)**

 **On that note, peace out mofos!**

 **322n(Ya friendly asian)**


	29. Chapter 26

**Responding to reviews 101**

 **Gamelover41592: I feel that Yu always has been a savage at heart, just that he doesn't show it much. It's always nice to add in minor details like that, to help with his character development, hence I chose to potray him like that.**

 **Exiled Soul Nomad: This was a concept that I've been toying around with this fanfic, although everything I've done so far is much more subtle than last chapter. It began with a thought like "What would happen if this Persona had unfinished business?" and it evolved into a pretty good idea from there on, at least in my opinion. Reason why I added this lil idea is because I've read many Persona fanfics but not many seen to touch much on what repercussions their Personae could have on them. Glad you enjoyed this idea :)**

 **Leafeon 12: Welp, wasn't honestly expecting this chapter to work out. Thanks for the support.**

 **MasterofDragonsGod: Thanks for the reviews, although next time I suggest you keep it down to a single review each time you wish to review. I'm admittedly not a fan of spam reviews.**

 **Delta8: Again, if you read one of my author notes from before, it's one of those ideas that I've shelved for next book. I'll let you figure out how you feel about it, cos I do have a Campione story and another idea that I want to tackle after finishing this book and I can tell you for sure that I will write till the aftermath of Asia's kidnapping by Diodora. :)**

 **Guest: It's not exactly OP, cuz the concept is not exactly refined and their synergy is not as good as Yu's. Yu had his Personae for five years longer than Akira, so it's only right that Akira is weaker than Yu in terms of synergy. However, they share the same body, which means that they bind each other in some way. Satanael is bound by the limits of Akira's human body while Akira is bound by the fact that he simply doesn't know the full extent of Satanael's powers. So they have to make sure they sync their movements correctly which they have never done before. Hence its also a double edged sword for both of them.**

 **Ryoji Mochizuki: Thanks for the support, and being a student in Singapore is kinda harsh especially on my writing schedule, although I can tell you that I try to at least update once a month.**

 **ShinyKyu: I would like to point out that it is not Akira and Yu who have fused into one person, but rather it's Akira's Ultimate Persona taking over half of Akira's body. So I hope this corrects your misconception of my last chapter. And again, this is my first story, and I have reiterated quite a few times the reason why many things feel forced or rush in the previous author notes and when I respond to reviews. Seriously though, this is my first story and I'm still pretty new to writing fanfics and such.**

Chapter 26: Dawn's Approach

 _Time frames and locations_

 **Persona Skills and Speech**

[Dragon Speech/Boosted Gear Skills]

POVs

 _Monday After Midnight, Kuoh Academy_

Issei's POV

It was almost disorientating, to be honest. Issei didn't know how to describe this new feeling that was dwelling within his body and soul as he felt the consciousness of Ddraig take over one half of his body. [It's been a while since I've had an opportunity to stretch my limbs.] His lips moved, but the words were not by him. It was Ddraig who spoke, his partner's deep voice contrasting that of Issei's usual voice. [And it feels glorious! Prepare yourself, Host of Alboin!] Issei couldn't help but almost feel sorry for Vali, as she quickly conversed with her Sacred Gear.

"Hey, Ddraig. What's the plan?"

[Now I show you how a real Dragon fights. Your body's pretty fragile, but then again it's not about what you have. It's about how you use it.] A bloodthirsty grin formed on Issei's face, another feature that certainly showed that Ddraig was almost in control to the audience that had finally chosen to continue watch them. [Hope you don't mind.]

"Let's go then, Partner." With their two separate minds linked together as one, the body of Hyoudou Issei began to fly forth, slamming into Vali before she had time to even react. "Up and Down?" It was a move that Issei had been contemplating of earlier, but couldn't do it due to his lack of speed against Vali. Now, he had the element of surprise and both Ddraig and Issei were willing to abuse it to the extreme.

[Of course.] Delivering a series of rapid blows to the waist, a final uppercut to the jaw sent Vali flying up, as her balance was disorientated by the sudden jump from Ddraig/Issei and preventing her from responding fast enough. [Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!Boost!] A few more boosts, and Issei quickly dashed up to just slightly above Vali, his hands already raised and interlocked together tightly by his fingers. Down below, Kuoh Academy looked pretty small, but the destruction that had plagued it was still evident. Issei could not help but wonder how were they so high up in such a short period of time.

Despite all this, Issei couldn't help but feel a little guilty, but he knew what had to be done if he wanted to win, After all, losing typically meant death in this long standing rivalry of Ddraig and Alboin. "I'm sorry, Vali." He sincerely apologized, and he knew that Vali had heard that apology. With that in mind, he smashed the combined fist down straight into Vali's stomach. The effect was instantaneous, as a sonic boom was heard and Vali plummeted from the sky like a rock. However, his senses had picked up a faint [Divide!] at the last second from Divine Dividing, letting him know that she had probably managed to survive that attack despite her precarious position.

[That's good, but your body's going to hurt after Resetting.] Nodding his head in affirmation, he began his descent.

"Hey, Ddraig, how did we get up here so fast?"

[Like I said, I was going to show you how a real Dragon fights. We use everything in every way possible, even in ways that sound absurd.] Absurd? A sudden chuckle from Ddraig derailed his thoughts even before he could think of anything else, but sadly his partner chose to not elaborate anymore. His curiousity was now burning even brighter, having been fueled by the question of what Ddraig represented and now the mystery behind the ability to move fast despite Boosting only five times more. [We've reached the the ground, stop getting lost in your thoughts.]

Issei quickly snapped out of his thoughts, proceeding to survey the area around him. The impact of Vali onto the ground seemed to have formed a rather large crater, and he quickly paled as he felt the death glare of Sona Sitri trained on the back his head. She was never going to let this count of property damage down, was she? The crater had to be at least a couple meters deep and the crater covered the entire courtyard. Heavy panting could be heard from Vali, as she slowly got up from the middle of the crater. "I'll be dammed, that was something else entirely, Hyoudou Issei."

"Well, I aim to please." He quickly shot back, only to realize a second later that he was sounding like Akira-senpai for a second right there. Woah, he wasn't going to emulate Akira, he wasn't someone who could pull off badass looks and moves without even trying unlike Akira.

[How did you get out, Ddraig?] He hadn't been expecting Alboin to butt into this, but he supposed that even the other Dragon would be curious as what happened to Ddraig. Thankfully, Alboin spoke softly enough to prevent everyone else, especially the faction leaders looking from the damaged school building from hearing the the conversation. It wouldn't do to paint a bigger target on his senpai.

[I don't know, but it feels good to stretch my limbs for a while, even if I can't stay out forever.] It was the first time that Issei had heard Ddraig admit something so freely, and he had a feeling that it wouldn't be the last. [But I know that Kurusu Akira is part of the reason why.] Shit, why was Ddraig telling Alboin and Vali that?

[Should have known that he was part of it...] Alboin trailed off, but he had left a message clear enough for both Ddraig and Isse to decipher. And the hidden meaning wanted to make Issei lunge at Vali once more to stop or at least delay Vali and Alboin from finding Akira. He could do it now. Vali was vulnerable, her armour was in almost in pieces from the impact of the attack earlier. He was still going strong and neither Divide nor Half Dimension could stop him at this point, not when Vali was starting to run on fumes by the looks of it. So why wasn't he doing it? Why did he refuse to move?

Yu's POV

"That's the best you can do?" Yu taunted, as he cut another jet of water half. Fueled by rage, Katrea Leviathan had began sending more water at him and started to become slightly more creative with her attacks, as water pillars began to spring from the floor, but the blue magical circles were a dead give away as to where they would rise from. Again, she was only being slightly more creative. Akira probably got stuck with a better opponent, judging by his absence.

"Don't look down on me!" Her raged filled voice reached his ears, but he couldn't be bothered to process the words. Not when he was facing such a weak opponent who focused on using water as her only means of attack, and probably defense as well. Her attack pattern was too telltale, she always shot two to three jets of water before summoning pillars of water under him, and that was it. And she wondered why she was looking weak in his eyes.

"I see no reason why not to. You forget one thing, Katerea Leviathan. You face a Primordial Deity." Primordial Dieties, according to Izanagi, referred to those who had a hand in creating the world, and that included any form of landmass. It was said that their power was so absurd, which was the reason why the likes of Izanagi and Izanami were dangerous to the point where their power made them a foe that any short of the top 10 strongest beings could face them. From the Norse to the Shinto to the Greeks, none of the Primordial Deities from those Pantheons were any exceptions.

To emphasize the point, he casted a quick spell. **"Ziodyne!"** Katerea Leviathan tried to put him a shield of water, only to realise her folly as the bolt of lightning slammed down from the Heavens into Katerea, punching through the shield like nothing.

"You know, I would think that devils would be at least smart enough to not use water to shield themselves from lightning. Water conducts electricity, after all." Yu couldn't help but comment, as she watched the she-devil writhe in pain while electric sparks kept flickering on puddle of water surrounding her. Yu shook his head, she had sealed her own defeat even before the fight started.

"Well, that was anti-climatic." Susanoo couldn't help but comment, as Yu unsummoned the Ame no Nuhoko. By the looks of it, his opponent wouldn't be getting up soon, due to the sheer amount of lightning he had put into that single bolt which ended up leaving her in a paralysed state. Not even her mouth was able to move, as Yu turned away from his now downed opponent. The Ziodyne that he had just cast could easily be comparable to Akira's Thunder Reign, that for sure he was certain.

"Indeed. Come on, we should get Amaterasu back to the conference room." After all, this was still a peace conference and it wouldn't be complete without the mediator.

Akira's POV

"Co **me on, that's** the be **st you** can do? D **on't te** ll that you **'ve lost your** touch alrea **dy, Razi** el." Twisting his knife around, Akira performed a 180 spin with Paradise Lost to grip it in a reversed way, before attempting for a stab at Raziel's abdomen to only be parried by a light spear that materialized onto Raziel's hand just in time.

"Just because I've fallen doesn't mean that I'm weaker, Satanael." Another wave of light spears screamed through the air as they soared towards, forcing him to break the engagement against Raziel for a second to dodge the spears. Damm, it seemed like all Raziel needed for that was a mere moment of concentration. So far, Akira hadn't slipped up yet but he was still human and if humans were prone to anything, it was mistakes.

Unfortunately, his gut instinct was right and he messed up a second later. An incorrect step to the left while dodging another wave of light spears left him with a light spear through the fabric of his clothing, lefeaving him with a medium sized slash right above his abdomen. Yeah, sure, it hurt. However, he did not allow that single wound to stop him as he continued to create space with the Tyrant Pistol. Damm, he was down to four bullets. A single magazine contained eight bullets, and he only had a single one. At this rate, he would lose one of his strongest weapons. Satanael's rifle, despite it's usefulness, was designed for mid to long ranged combat and in this small space, there was no way for him to utilize it properly.

"High Pixie! **Diarama** " Using this previous time, he ripped off his mask, to quickly mend his wound. It wasn't a full fix, but it would at least stop the bleeding and seal the wound partially for now. His Mana Pool was rather large, but he didn't want to waste a large chunk of it on Salvation just yet.

 **"I've n** ot be **en** in a **mort** al bod **y for far** too lo **ng. It fee** ls go **od to** em **brace p** ain o **nce more."** Satanael's words surprised him, but he kept his shock hidden while Raziel tried to process said words.

"So the boy is your host?"

Per **haps. P** erhap **s not."** He felt his face break into the same infuriating smirk that always seemed to be his main taunt for enemies , and apparently it worked on beings of a higher power too. A scowl covered Raziel's face, as she renewed her offence. Another clash of light spear against dagger, and it ended in a draw as both broke away from their deadlock.

"Why do you resist so, Satanael?"

"Be **cause** I **wis** h to. You f **orget t** ha **t I w** as **not cr** eated **th** e sa **me** w **ay as th** e rest o **f you w** ere."

"Ah, Free Will. To think Father did not do anything about you." Her face betrayed no emotion, but the tone did little to hide the disgust that she had for him.

"Perhaps we should finish this up another time." He could feel the power of Yu approaching this section of the building fast, along with two other presences that seemed to indicate they were Gods due to the divinity he sensed. Also, Satanael no longer seemed content in fighting anymore. It seemed like he wanted this to end on a one on one duel.

"Mark my words, Satanael. I will find out the mysteries behind your power." With that, Raziel dispersed her light spears, her wings immediately began beating with such force that he could feel the wind being generated by the six sets of black wings.

"I'll be waiting then. My name is Kurusu Akira."

"I'll remember that name." With that, Raziel bent down ever so slightly, before she shot through the ceiling and the roof. He could feel Satanael slowly moving back to the Sea of Souls, leaving him feeling quite mentally drained. Turns out having another being have partial control of your body put serious strain on his mind.

"You're late, Yu." He called out just as the door opened to reveal Yu along with Susanoo and Amaterasu.

"What are you talking about? We were already both late to the party." If Yu hadn't said it in such a straight face, neither Akira nor Susanoo wouldn't have suddenly found it hard to breathe and control themselves.

"Fair enough."

 _Monday Dawn, Kuoh Academy_

Issei's POV

Issei couldn't help but look up at the sky as the sun began to slowly rise. The destruction caused by the several fights in the school had taken its toll, and it meant that there would be no school for a while. Yet, he couldn't help but slowly relax, knowing that the battle for peace was over. All was well, for now at the very least. Vali had retreated with the help of her allies that had shown up. Akira-senpai along with Narukami Yu had shown up a few seconds later along with Amaterasu, allowing them to continue the conference.

"So, how was it?"Akira and Issei were both standing on the roof of the partially ruined building, which still held up enough for them to hold a conversation,

"How was what?"

"Ddraig emerging from the Boosted Gear. It could be felt a mile away, you know?" Akira had his hands shoved into his pockets, looking at the rising sun.

"It was weird, to be honest. Having someone who has partial control of your body felt off, since I wasn't exactly comfortable with Ddraig controlling my body at times." Issei too stared at the rising fun, fully absorbed in his thoughts, still reflecting on the fight earlier.

"You should probably ask Ddraig to train you."

"Why?"

"If Ddraig hadn't taken over part of you, you would have definitely lost against Vali, and you can't always rely on him to help you." Issei looked at his senpai, who still faced the sun. "You know, you've never used the full potential of the Boosted Gear. It is capable of a lot of things, you've simply scratched the surface."

"Like what?"

"I've told you this before. The Boosted Gear is capable of Boosting anything."

[The boy speaks truth. You know, no one that I've encountered ever thought of that.] Ddraig spoke up, a little hint of respect evident in his voice.

"I suppose I'll be going now. After all, I've stayed up the whole night and I could use some rest." Nodding his head dumbly, Issei watched as Akira hopped down the school building, using the debris as stepping stones on his descent to the ground.

"Hey, Ddraig. When Akira-senpai said the Boosted Gear was capable of Boosting anything, it is capable of Boosting anything, right?"

[Yes.]

"So when you Boosted during Vali's flight, you boosted our speed to move faster than her?"

[You are partially correct. There's another piece of the puzzle you're missing.]

"What is it?"

[How did I manage to knock Vali down with such force? You know, the amount of force that you had would have been insufficient due to the amount that Vali Divided out of you.] Issei wanted to smack his head, how could he forget that? He also had been surprised by his strength, since Ddraig hadn't Boosted after they were up in the air. [If you can solve this, I'll be able to tell you on what you should focus on next.]

"Thanks, Ddraig."

[No, I should be the one thanking you. After all, I've missed the feeling of being able to move freely, even if it is for a short while. Now, what do you plan to do with it?] Issei held a jewel in his hands. He had not even told Akira about this, but it was one of the Jewels that had fallen out of Vali's armour, proving how strong the jewel was. what was he going to do with it? Sighing, Hyoudou Issei began to make his way down from the rooftop, knowing that Buchou was going to be worried. [You know, I'm sure that if you ever reveal Dress Break to Akira, he's probably going to kill you.]

Somewhere else, Akira felt the urge to turn back to the Academy and discipline a certain brown haired idiot.

No one's POV

 _Khaos Brigade_

"Damm it, how could this happen?" Cao Cao slammed his fist onto the table, regretting a second later as he winced in pain. Several things had happened tonight, and none of them were good. First, they had failed to recruit both Kurusu Akira and Narukami Yu. As if thatwasn't enough, they had done the impossible and summoned beings that were meant to be DEAD. If that wasn't enough of an insult, Kurusu Akira had managed to shoot him just as Gerog was getting them away, leaving him with a wound that would take time to heal. Time which he might not have.

"We were overconfident." Gerog entered Cao Cao's room, announcing his presence as such. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but something else has happened. Something that has possibly destroyed our plans. The Old Satan Faction found out the news as they were attacking Kuoh."

"What could have happened?" Cao Cao, for some reason, couldn't help but fear his fellow Hero's answer.

"Ophis is missing." With that, something within Cao Cao snapped.

 **A/N: Feel free to call me lazy or anything, but there are reasons why I chose to have this as a shorter chapter than anything.**

 **1\. I do not wish to cover part of the aftermath asap, but rather conclude it as a whole in the next chapter.**

 **2\. The fights were meant to be underwhelming, and for good reason. This is a conference where the original plan is already shot to hell entirely already. Also, Electricity beats Water.**

 **3\. I am heading overseas soon.**

 **So yeah, hopefully this explains my somewhat lazy writing. Honestly, I am tempted to rewrite this fanfic due to the chapters that I have at the start of the story, but rewriting would take too much time to deliver the standard that I want while largely keeping the same ideas.**

 **But anyways, I got bigger fish to fry aka Harem Poll.** **As of now, here are the results:**

1st: Makoto with 21 votes

2nd: Ophis and Yasaka tied with 18 votes

3rd: Futaba with 16 votes

4th: Ann, Vali and Gabriel tied with 14 votes

5th: Haru with 12 votes

6th: Akeno with 11 votes

7th: Sona and Tiamat with 10 votes

8th: Rossweisse with 8 votes

9th: Hifumi with 3 votes

10th: Tae and Others tied with 2 votes

 **Again, I will only pick top 3 votes, and I'm going to close the poll next Friday so feel free to vote till then. Also pls do not vote the Dummy Choice because IT IS a dummy choice. Also Kuroka is already guranteed a place in the harem in case you didn't read my note.**

 **One more thing before I sign out. I have uploaded an old work that I found in my old phone and I would like you guys to read it, if it isn't too much of a bother. A Lost Purpose is something that I've held on to quite a while for now, and I decided to post it now due to more lore being available from the Valve Lords themselves. I mean, who would expect EVERY SINGLE GAME OF DOTA 2 TO BE CANNON? That was why I decided to upload it. I hope you guys and read and review A Lost Purpose too, as it would mean a lot to me.**

 **Hoped you guys enjoyed this chapter and leave a review if you guys think that there's room for improvement or any requests that you want! Some requests will be considered. Feel free to PM me if you want. Absurd requests are obviously not allowed and dun flame. I am only a amateur at this shit.**

 **On that note, peace out mofos!**

 **322n(Ya friendly asian)**

 **Songs:**

 **5 Seconds of Summer - Youngblood**

 **Eminem - Venom**

 **Eminem - Fall**

 **Dean Lewis - Be Alright**

 **Infected Mushroom - Walking on the Moon**


	30. IMPORTANT NOTICE PLS READ

Hi guys, 322n here.

So this is not a chapter, but more of an update(again). After much thought and time spent not updating this fanfic, I have decided to set up a poll to decide the fate of this story. I'll be giving 3 diffetent options.

1\. I rewrite the entire story.

2\. I abandon it and leave it up for someone to continue on.

3\. I simply delete it.

Yall may be asking why is this happening and why I have decided to make a poll to let you all decide the fate of this story. I've got a few reasons. First of all, recently, I've been re reading the entire story, and I realized how I had accidentally set myself up and trap myself in a dead end, and now I got no idea on how to continue. I admit that this is my fault as an author, to be honest, it has left me contemplating on rewriting for a few months now. Second reason is because I don't have the time to think of new ideas to continue this fanfic. After all, it is easier to start on a new idea rather trying to maintain an old one. Third, I admittedly have been devoting quite a bit of time into my other active fanfic, A Lost Soul. But A Lost Soul is an idea that I've been contemplating on for quite a while, unlike A Hidden World which was a rushed idea in the spur of the moment, hence me constantly updating A Lost Soul instead.

So yeah, I would like your take on this, and do go and vote on the poll if you want to see it rewritten, abandoned or deleted. The choice is now in your hands.

Peace out, Mofos

322n


	31. Read this, Like seriously Read this

Hi guys, 322n here.

My rewrite of A Hidden World is out. YES, YOU READ THAT RIGHT. MY REWRITE OF A HIDDEN WORLD IS OUT.

It is called A Hidden World - Reimagined. Please go read and review. **(Please note that it can take up to 4 hours for the new story to be uploaded.)**

Peace out, People of Earth

322n


End file.
